Shannon Parchem’s mom never really “came out” to her. But Shannon always knew her mother, Patricia, was a lesbian.

For as long as she can remember, her mother’s partner of 19 years, Candace Zimmerman, picked her up from school, helped her with homework, attended parent/teacher conferences and spent the holidays with her.

Shannon, a senior family studies major, said she never wondered where her father was. There was always Candace.

“I’d go to school, and kids would be like, ‘Where’s your dad?’ And I’d say, ‘I have two moms,’” Shannon said. “It’s always been pretty normal to me.”

It isn’t normal for everyone.

However, research continues to cite no significant difference between children with gay parents and children with straight ones. Those interviewed said they experienced normal childhoods even though they have always identified their parents as homosexual. And while the issue of gay parenting remains controversial, parents and their children are speaking out about their experiences, strengthening their resolve to raise families like everyone else.

“It’s just been like: This is my mom, and this is my mom’s girlfriend,” Josh Spainhoward of Kent said. “I always knew mom as a lesbian.” In fact, more gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered parents are raising children, according to Family Pride Coalition, an Oak Park, Ill.-based support group for gay parents and their children. The number of people in Ohio who identified themselves as part of a same-sex couple increased roughly 400 percent this year — to 18,937 — according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

However, same-sex couples still face hurdles if they decide to parent. Most states, like Ohio, don’t allow joint adoptions for same-sex couples. And homosexuality, in general, still triggers prejudice and hate.

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