Gay parents hold no fear for women of the world

ANGELA MASON, the director of the gay rights group Stonewall, is used to making speeches on controversial issues to a sometimes hostile reception. But she admitted she was very surprised when the Towns- women's Guild invited her to speak about gay parenting.

But then, guild members are a feisty bunch. Not for them the genteel pleasure of making jam and patchwork quilts. They are campaigners, born out of the suffragette movement and, not content with fighting for cannabis to be legalised for medical reasons, they are looking for a new cause.

At a conference in London to debate the family yesterday, nearly 300 members, mostly over 50, trooped in, adjusted their glasses and sat pens at the ready to learn about the modern family. They made short work of George Howarth, the Home Office minister brought in at the last minute to replace Paul Boateng, who was unavoidably detained.

"Speak up," came an imperious voice from the back. "We really can't hear what you're saying," she said to a chorus of "hear, hear". Mr Howarth ploughed on with his speech about government policy and looked mighty relieved when his turn was over and he could scuttle back to Westminster. They listened and nodded appreciatively when speakers from the National Stepfamily Association and the National Council for One Parent Families spoke of the importance of understanding the difficulties faced by single parents. What then would they make of Ms Mason, who had a daughter, now 14, by donor insemination and who has lived with her female partner for 20 years? When she spoke of the hurt that lesbians and gays felt in the face of prejudice, they nodded sympathetically. When she spoke of her daughter's confidence and told them that she was not teased at school, a few eyebrows were raised but they remained silent.

"In my experience and from research done on this subject, it has been seen that children in lesbian and gay families grow up very similarly to those in heterosexual families and are no more likely to be homosexual or teased at school than anyone else," said Ms Mason.

As she returned to her seat, there was a round of applause. No doubt some were disapproving, but they kept it to themselves. One asked how the lesbian family worked. "Who is the mother, and how does a child relate to two mothers?" There was a rustle of tuts. But these women were not disapproving of a lesbian family, they were annoyed at the personal nature of the question.

After they adjourned for lunch, Anne Wilkes, the national vice-chairman, spoke to approving nods when she said the guild was a tolerant group who simply wanted to learn. And with that, they filed back into the hall to listen to speeches on a subject most of them were more familiar with - the role of the grandparent.