Heather Has Two Mommies
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| Heather Has Two Mommies | |
| Author | Lesléa Newman |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Alyson Books |
| Publication date | 1989 |
| ISBN | ISBN 1-55583-543-0 |
Heather Has Two Mommies is a children's book written by Lesléa Newman with Diana Souza's illustrations, first published in 1989. It is about a child, Heather, raised by lesbian women: her biological mother, Jane, who gave birth to her after artificial insemination, and her biological mother's same-sex partner, Kate. At Heather's playgroup, her family situation is discussed simply and positively, as are those of other children in non-traditional family units.[1]
Lesléa Newman related:
| “ | The idea for Heather came about one day when I was walking down Main Street in Northampton, Mass., a town known for its liberalism, tolerance of difference, and large lesbian population. On this particular day I ran into a woman who, along with her female partner, had recently welcomed a child into their home. "We have no books to read our daughter that show our type of family," the woman said. "Somebody should write one." | ” |
As the book presents a positive image of gay people to children, it regularly draws censure from conservative groups, often with religious associations or motivations. The American Library Association ranked it the 11th most frequently banned book in the United States in the 1990s; a similar phenomenon can be seen in the Sugar Time! episode of the American television series Postcards from Buster. In the 1980s, comparable political controversy erupted in the UK over the book Jenny lives with Eric and Martin.
The book and the controversy over it were parodied in the 2006 Dav Pilkey book Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People. In it, the parallel-universe Miss Singerbrains (the school librarian) invites the two main characters, George and Harold, to read the banned book Mommy Has Two Heathers.
