In our parents' footsteps: LGBT kids who grew up with gay parents are finding support in groups like COLAGE. And they're discovering their desire to work in the gay rights movement.(FAMILY)

Publication: The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine)

Publication Date: 20-JUN-06

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Brendan Ranson-Walsh was in Hawaii a few years ago while touring with the musical Cats. He and some friends were looking for a gay beach in Maui, but they were having no luck.

So Ranson-Walsh, 22, called the one person he knew would be able to help: his father, Robert. That's because Ranson-Walsh and Robert, 55, share a bond that the majority of gay children do not have with their parents--father and son are both gay.

While many gays and lesbians may see having a gay parent as a dream scenario, many second-generation gays, or "second-geners," say that, like any parent-child relationship, it comes with its own unique challenges. "Everyone assumes that it's easier being gay if you have a gay parent," says Ranson-Walsh. "And yes, to a degree, it's easier. A gay parent isn't going to kick you out of the house for being gay. But it wasn't easy."

For Ranson-Walsh, who also has a lesbian sister, the challenge came with being pegged as gay at an early age, thanks in part to his longtime...

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