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Gay & Interracial, Partners Forge A New Kind of Family

What do you call a white guy and an Asian guy pushing a black baby in a stroller?

A family.

“It takes people a second when we are out together,” said Christopher Goeken, who with his partner Glenn Magpantay is parent to Malcolm. “But then they say, ‘Oh, that’s what it is. Now I understand.’”

Even in New York City, a gay interracial couple with an adopted child can raise eyebrows. So when the two Jackson Heights, Queens lawyers adopted baby Malcolm in January 2007, they braced themselves.

No anti-gay crusaders marched down the block. But some people seemed to doubt their parenting abilities.

“We have had people stop us on the street and give us unsolicited advice,” Goeken said. “Oh, it’s too cold out for the baby, you’re dragging his feet, you’re going to kill him!”

Padraic Wheeler: Padraic Wheeler is a senior at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University. A California native, he is currently based in beautiful Brooklyn. He enjoys LGBT advocacy, swimming, and modern/contemporary design. His weakness for pugs and French bulldogs will one day lead to his downfall.
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