Pop culture inaccurately portrays gay dads as white and wealthy, UBC prof says

It’s misleading how gay dads are portrayed as rich and white, according to a professor at the University of British Columbia.

“From Neil Patrick Harris on our screens to U.S. transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg on the global stage, the emerging image of gay dads in North America is of white, affluent men,” Erez Aloni, associate professor in the Peter A. Allard School of Law, said in a news release.

“But this image isn’t accurate and has real-world implications for gay dads and their families.”

Gay dads may earn more than other demographics, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re wealthier, Aloni argues.

By looking at gay dads through the lens of wealth rather than income, “you see that there is likely a systematic problem with a wealth gap among gay fathers; that is, it may cost more to be a gay dad than to be a heterosexual dad, or even a gay mom.”

“Yet gay dads have this image of affluence in pop culture that we don’t necessarily see with gay moms,” Aloni said. “And it’s likely inaccurate.”

To change things, Aloni recommends conducting more research, and possibly expanding in vitro fertilization coverage.

“And, policies that support gay parents would help all marginalized groups as well as challenge entrenched gender stereotypes.”

Gay dads make up 0.07% of Canadian families, according to StatsCan.

“As a gay dad, I’ve experienced things like going to sign my daughter up to daycare and the form requiring the name of the mother and the father, or people saying my daughter needs her mommy when she’s crying in public. So I think it is important for people to recognize the existence of gay dads and understand that their lives are more complex than the commonly perceived image.”

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