DADDY AND PAPA

What does the American family look like? In recent years, due largely to hard-won battles by gays and lesbians and with thousand s of gay men consciously deciding to become parents, it’s been up for interpretation. This unprecedented moment is the subject of this documentary, which opens a candid window on the personal, cultural, and political implications of gay fatherhood. Turning his lens on four households and never ducking from the issue, Symons examines the effect of gender and sexual orientation on children, the dilemma of white fathers raising African American kids, the problems of adoption, and the opinions of the public. Symons himself, who at first resists becoming a father, must, later, together with his partner, negotiate a painful snag in the adoption process.