Same-sex families need recognition

[vaneramos]

Approaching the Village with Danny on Saturday afternoon: a house on Maitland Street.

Canada's bureaucracy doesn't know how to handle same-sex marriage yet. Bonnie and Tana have been trying for months to get a passport for their baby, Molly, in time for a trip to Paris this Thursday. Tana repeatedly contacted Égale requesting support, but never received a response. Molly was born to two legally married women, but Bonnie had taken the extra precaution of adopting.

Last week Ottawa still had failed to process their application. So Tana spent several desperate hours in phone calls between home, the local riding office where the MP's staff co-ordinated with her friend, and a ring of civil servants in Ottawa. Although MP Brenda Chamberlain opposes same-sex marriage, her staff were patient and helpful.

At one point Tana was connected to a new person unfamiliar with the interminable process and its significant players. Understanding only that Molly was adopted, the woman on the phone said to Tana, "I can't speak to you. I have to speak with Molly's adoptive mother."

Exasperated, Tana said, "I pushed her out of my vagina!"

I asked Bonnie whether these civil servants were being deliberately obstinate. She said no. They simply had never handled a situation like this.

Molly got her passport.

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I'm exploring a new format for my LJ posts. Today's post has three parts: an image and 200 words of text, followed by a record, behind a cut, of things I've been doing and thinking about. I had hoped this would be less time consuming than the old format, but not so far.

Yesterday afternoon I helped Sylvie and Sarah move with their new housemate, Terrilyn, into a new apartment on Liverpool Street. It's a beautifully renovated duplex in an historic neighbourhood. We also had help from Paula. After work Marg brought over a pot of vegetarian chili and cornbread. Bonnie joined the housewarming later.

My computer is back together at home. Besides the new video card, Danny installed an ethernet card so I can hook up cable whenever I can manage the connection fee.

I also brought home from Toronto some brownish-grey wool (Patons Classic Merino Wool: 00252, Tree Bark Mix) bought at Romny's to make a pair of slippers. I started on the pattern this afternoon. It won't be easy for a novice. It requires a double strand of yarn on 4½ mm needles. I didn't think I would be able to figure out how to increase without Danny's help, but found a short video online, which cleared up my confusion.

Meanwhile, work on the purple scarf (Bernat Solo: 57320, Plum) continues. The first scarf was made with Patons Bohemian, 11110, Indigo Indulgence.