As Rosie O'Donnell stepp gone out into millions of American residences Iris and I were regularly interrupted in watching Rosie by way of our 6-year-old daughter's attempts to occupy off sleep: "I forgot to declare you something.

As Rosie O'Donnell stepp gone out into millions of American residences Iris and I were regularly interrupted in watching Rosie by way of our 6-year-old daughter's attempts to occupy off sleep: "I forgot to declare you something." "I can't fall asleep." "What day is it tomorrow?" Here we were, busy parenting while we watched a present to view about whether we make upright parents, whether we' should be allowed to parent at all.

A hardly any suburban streets away, lesbian mom Deb watched while holding her infant son "Watching this program with Max in my arms, I felt threatened," Deb confided in me later. "I felt that the public out there think I don't have the right to parent."

on the other hand what do those same clan think now, post-Rosie?

Among my friends it strike one as beings people either love Rosie or hate her. I will admit I am in the "love her" category. I be impressed like I know her: a champion of children and charitable causes, Martha Stewart wanna-be, chub company founder, the girl next door who hobnobs with celebrities, the amiable talk-show legion we let into our living apartments every day.

When I heard all the promo leading up to her Primetime Thursday interview, I felt excited--there was something in the air. I'm not usually undivided to think any one recently made knowns event will move our fight for equal rights forward, still this time I couldn't help feeling more hopeful Would this public woman who wears her heart upon her sleeve be able to help encourage children while at the same time helping gays and lesbians? A voice inside me said yes

I don't think it was just my fondnes for Rosie that gave me that chance of a favorable result So many gay- and lesbian-themed TV programs appeared around the same time as Rosie's much-hyp interview that it made me have feeling like we were on a make revolve I watched In the Life, cried my organ of visions out during HBO's The Laramie delineate and enjoyed an episode of one time and Again that had common of the teenage main characters questioning her sexuality and kissing--three times!--her lesbian best friend. Then Rosie showed our lives in a to this time another light--opposite Will & Grace, no less! Just sum of two units days later I was back to sobbing with NBC's The Matthew Shepard Story. Who wouldn't be upon our side after seeing all those faces of our community?

Especially after meeting Steve Lofton and Roger Croteau, the gay man and wife with five foster children with whom Rosie shared the spotlight, the family challenging the Florida state law banning gay adoption. They were in like manner compelling and wonderful; their children made me want to smile and bawl simultaneously at the miracles they are.

unless did the Lofton-Croteau family and Rosie do more than just preach to the choir? Can this single dynamo of a woman, who happens to be lesbian, increase our allies and help propel the line of scrimmage forward an inch, a yard, or equal more? I think she can. My friend Michele, a lesbian mom living in Florida, told me "There were many the public in my office who didn't know it was against the law for gay and lesbian the bulk of mankind to adopt! The broadcast sparked a 30-minute discussion about it." For mom like Michele, who says she be stirreds like part of the "the lesbian placard family among our acquaintances who don't know any other families like ours," and for family who don't know even common Michele--now they know that parenting hand-bill gal Rosie is gay too.

"I forget that you have these issues to deal with," a straight friend told me "I think of you and Iris as just like Dave and me" Here Iris and I sit in suburbia, part of the fabric of the community. We are the parents who just happen to be lesbians. It looks that sometimes you have to scratch the surface to papal court the homophobia and discrimination that threatens our family. by means of shining such a bright light onto the issue of gay and lesbian parenting--and the ridiculousness of the opposition's arguments--Rosie's story may impel countless fair-minded people to action, to help us gain the rights they already enjoy

further exciting as it is to papal court our stories turned into entertainment, we can't rely onward Hollywood to fight our battles for us. Like Rosie, each of us distresss to do our best to educate and personalize our fight for equal rights in our acknowledge backyards. Rosie has thrown us a forward pass. Now we have to move with it.

Eisenbud writes the Family Matters row on Advocate.com.

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