Cosmopolitan_Australia_October_2017

BRENNA HARDING, 21:

TWO MUMS’

‘MARDI GRAS was kind of like Christmas; we

went every year and I’d be in the parade, and we’d

watch the drag shows. Those things coloured my

childhood, but all in all it was very normal.

My mum was single when she had me. When

I was five, she met my other mum, Jackie. She said

to me, “Jack is going to move in. Do you want her

to be my roommate or be your other mother?” and

I said, “other mother”. That became my family unit.

As I got older, people had preconceptions about

what it was to be gay and assumed that because my

parents were gay, I was gay. But I’d been raised to

have a real backbone about it and to understand

that there was nothing wrong with my family and

it was someone else’s problem if they thought that.

Having same­sex parents meant I was born

already having to be an ally to the queer community

• I didn’t have choice in that, and believe nobody

should have a choice in that; we shouldn’t get to

choose whether or not we’re going to accept people

for who they are. I was honoured to have that in my

life so early because I could see people as individuals,

value their differences and their diversity. I didn’t

judge them based on stereotypes. I understood

what discrimination was and the struggles that my

parents and other people in the community had

been through to be accepted, so I never wanted to

inflict that upon anyone.

Believing all children should have a mother and

a father figure is unrealistic. I think there are very

few families who do have a mother and a father

figure; families are incredibly different and it’s what

creates diversity within our society and makes us

interesting. I think the most important thing about

parents is that they love their children – I had a very

loved childhood. That should be the priority rather

than gender or sex or sexuality or race, etc.

When I have kids, I hope that they are able to

explore who they are, without feeling limited by

labels or by how people might judge them, and to

feel freedom in that respect and pride in who they

choose to be. I hope that with that comes a valuing

of kindness and caring for others, empathy and

acceptance of other people’s journeys.’

‘I HAVE

Brenna was born into activism thanks

to growing up with two mums