Advocating for LGBTQ+ parents and their children

The testimony of parent leader Jennifer Wilson as presented to the committee in opposition to SB134.

My name is Jennifer Wilson and I am the Executive Director of Modern Family Alliance in Kansas City. Our organization supports lgbtq+ parents and their children. I am here today to voice my opposition to SB134 and to talk about the effect of this bill on the families in Missouri that are headed by same-sex couples.

In addition to working to support these families I am also a parent. My wife and I have 3 young children.

Jennifer Wilson (left) with her spouse and children.

The fact that we are two women is nothing more than just that when it comes to raising our kids. We share the same joys and struggles as those families around us and we are not seeking anything more for our children than the opportunity to learn in a safe and welcoming environment without these attempts to target, shame and discriminate against them.

I remember watching my oldest walk into his elementary school for the first time like it was yesterday. I put on a face of excitement for him but my head and heart were full of questions. Will he make a friend? Will he eat his lunch? Will someone notice if he is struggling? Have I done everything I can to prepare him? At that moment he felt as vulnerable and fragile as the day we brought him home but I was able to walk back to my car because I trusted that the adults inside would do everything they could to see him succeed and they would look out for him while I couldn’t. This bill would change that. Not only will this create an environment where these children are shamed and isolated because of their family but the school's staff will be required to participate in these harmful actions.

As parents we all know we will face moments of helplessness because we cannot protect them from all of the challenges in life. Times when we will only be able to offer comfort and support as we watch them face rejection, loss and heartbreak. But this does not have to be one of those challenges. The makeup of their family doesn’t have to cause harm but this bill will do just that by excluding their families and encouraging harassment against them.

Please allow them the freedom to be a kid without carrying the weight of our divided politics.