Rob and Reece Scheer of Darnestown, two white gay men, adopted Amaya and three boys — all of whom are African American and had been in foster care — several years ago and were recently featured in a magazine run by the huge toy chain Mattel and its popular dolls, called “American Girl.” In the article, Amaya tells of how she and her brother came to the Scheers in 2009 with their belongings in two trash bags. It was their third foster home in four months. The Scheers went on to adopt two other kids who are brothers — Greyson, who is now 8, and Tristan, now 6.
The article, by an adult writer for the magazine, is written through Amaya’s perspective. In it, Amaya promotes the charity one of her dads — Rob — started several years ago, called Comfort Cases, which provides backpacks filled with pajamas, toothbrushes, blankets, stuffed animals and other items for foster kids. The group has gone from providing about 300 kits in 2013 to donating 7,000 to kids in the District, Maryland and Virginia foster care systems last year.
After the recent article in American Girl came out and showed a photo spread of Amaya with her family, her parents said they got a call Friday from a family friend saying there was online criticism from a group called One Million Moms. The group said it is an online project of the American Family Association, based in Tupelo, Miss.
On their Web site, the group criticized the article, saying it should have focused “on the child and not about the parents since it is a magazine for children.” It went on: “The magazine also could have chosen another child to write about and remained neutral in the culture war.” The post goes on to say the magazine is trying to “desensitize our youth by featuring a family with two dads” and it calls homosexuality wrong. It also encourages subscribers to cancel the magazine.
Comments at WP:
* I can see why some parents would have a fit over the two dads issue. Most do not want their children growing up believing that being gay is a lifestyle one chooses, like living in an apartment versus a house, or being a vegetarian versus being a meat eater. Most parents want their kids to grow up heterosexual. And that’s the way it is.
By extolling the virtues of this gay couple – while they are indeed commendable – the magazine is “normalizing” the gay lifestyle, and giving children and parents the impression that it supports the couple’s choices. And furthermore, that they are desirable.
American Girl’s readership demographic is what – about 8 – 14? I can’t think of a more impressionable age. If the editors made the decision to run the story (even though it was not actually written by the girl) it’s clear they have an agenda. It’s up to parents to decide whether they agree, and whether they want to continue subscribing.
Some years ago. The Girl Scout Junior Handbook featured a problem-solving scenario: a young girl knew that her teenage sister was pregnant. Should she tell her parents? Why was this story in the handbook in the first place? Why couldn’t they stick with fact-based learning, badges, nature, etc. The problem starts when organizations and businesses take on what we talk about as moral values. It’s then that everyone takes sides.
