• Featured image: A scene from Gayby Baby. Above: Katrina Alilovic with daughters Zoe and Maya. Photo by Matthew Dwyer
THE psychological issues faced by children of same-sex parents is being “hidden and marginalised” in WA, says a counsellor from Applecross.
Katrina Alilovic returned to Australia three years ago, having worked as a counsellor in the UK for 10 years, and says Britain is more open in its approach to same-sex parenting and multiculturalism.
“The subject has a much higher profile in the UK and I think that’s down to the fact that it’s more diverse and multicultural,” the counselling psychologist says.
“In Perth it seems to be somewhat hidden and marginalised and maybe that’s because we are a bit more conservative and lacking in diversity.
“In places like London you are exposed to so many different cultures and lifestyles by just walking through the streets; in WA it tends to be done in a formal basis through some sort of educational initiative.”
Ms Alilovic wants to increase the awareness of same-sex parenting in WA by hosting a screening of Gayby Baby, a documentary that explores the difficulties that four Australian children with same-sex parents face in their day-to-day life.
The film hit the headlines last month when the NSW government banned it from being screened at a high school, following a sensationalised and inaccurate campaign by the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Gayby Baby includes a portrait of 11-year-old Graham, who is embarrassed he can’t read having been neglected by his birth parents and never taught to speak. His quest is complicated even further when his dads move the family to Fiji, a religiously conservative place where they are not comfortable being “out”.
“I have a five- and a three- year-old that are both reaching school age,” says Ms Alilovic.
“Through my experience as a counsellor, I know that kids with same-sex parents are more vulnerable and likely to get bullied.
“Hopefully by watching the film, parents and teenagers will be aware of the issues that these kids face and be more understanding towards them.”
Director Maya Newell says Gayby Baby is the first feature documentary told from the perspective of kids in gay and lesbian families.
“…Gayby Baby is not an ad for queer families, but a film where loving families struggle with competing needs and values, where parents overreact and sometimes kids get let down,” she says. “We need stories that aren’t just there to prove a point claiming, ‘We are the same, our families are perfect, our families are just like yours!’ Same-sex families are not perfect, but they are no less perfect than any other kind of family.”
To secure an October 28 screening at Hoyts in Garden City, Ms Alilovic must secure 65 tickets. If successful, she will donate the five per cent in takings she receives back to the documentary makers.
To book visit http://www.tugg.com/events/56164.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK
