Double Dads One Teen
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Pennsylvania Green and Judge of Elections Dr. Stuart Chen-Hayes publishes Queer family memoir on 25 years of activism in USA and Taiwan: Double Dads One Teen
Double Dads One Teen: A Queer Family's Trailblazing Life in the USA and Taiwan has been published by Dr. Stuart Chen-Hayes, a Green Party Judge of Elections in Newtown, PA, and professor of Counselor Education at CUNY Lehman College as a celebration of his 25 years of activism with his husband, Dr. Lance Chen-Hayes, and their queer teen, Kalani.
The book covers how they constructed legal protection for their relationship on two continents as a dual national, mixed-race, queer family. It chronicles their journey to parenthood through surrogacy and the resulting joys and challenges as Lance was the first out gay father of Taiwanese descent.
The book shares multiple rituals that the couple has used successfully to celebrate their relationship from their 1997 "illegal" wedding in Chicago, to domestic partnership for health care in NYC in 1998, to domestic partnership in NJ, to a NJ civil union, to a gay wedding in NYC, and culminating in successful victory for gay marriage in Taiwan in May. They share a unique first gay coming out day ritual that they developed for their teen.
As educators, the family has provided schools and educators in Taiwan and the USA with a variety of workshops, lectures, and activism promoting Comprehensive Sexuality Education including queer and trans individuals, couples, and families and have celebrated affirming schools and challenged heterosexist ones along the way.
The book also details the political journey of the family, as Stuart, Lance and Kalani are all Green Party members and also identify as socialist.
