with Amanda Banach
Jo: I'm a stay-at-home
mom for Amanda and I do daycare, currently watching five children.
I'm a pretty huge kid magnet. I can't walk into
a mall without some child walking away from their parents
and coming up to me saying, "Hi!"So this must
be what I'm supposed to be doing. Diane: When
I first came out, I was a full-fledged baby dyke in army jacket
and combat boots, ready to hit the world. Now I'm proud
to be a mom. The hardest part of being same-sex parents is
dealing with things like insurance and guardianship. Huge
frustrations! I mean, I could go down the street and pick
up any Tom, Dick, or Harry and, boom, he could adopt Amanda
and everything would be covered. Jo: I carry a permission
slip from Diane in case I have to take Amanda to the hospital.
Legally, I have no parental rights with her and the State
of Wisconsin won't let me adopt her. Diane: We've
talked about changing our names so we're all the same,
so there won't be questions of motherness as Amanda
goes through school.
Together since January 19, 1998
