Heather Has Two Mommies

Heather Has Two Mommies is a children's book written by Lesléa Newman with illustrations by Diana Souza. First published in 1989, it was one of the first pieces of LGBTQ+ children's literature to garner broad attention.

In its early years, Heather Has Two Mommies garnered both positive and negative attention due to the lesbian themes present in the book. The book received praise for highlighting the parenthood of lesbian parents, but also drew criticism from people opposed to same-sex parenting, as well as from members of the LGBTQIA+ community who felt the book did not portray same-sex parenthood accurately.

Summary

The story follows a child named Heather who is raised by lesbian women: her biological mother, Jane, who gave birth to her after artificial insemination, and her biological mother's same-sex partner, Kate. At Heather's playgroup, her family situation is discussed simply and positively, as are those of other children in other family units. At first, Heather becomes upset when she realizes that many of her other peers at the playgroup have a father and she does not. Molly, the caretaker at the playgroup, ensures that all the children at the playgroup understand that all families are special and no family type is better than any of the others. By the end of the book, Heather's sadness goes away and she expresses gratitude for her mothers. While out for a walk, Newman was approached by lesbian parents and asked to write a children's story about a family like theirs. Six months after the book's publication in December 1989, it was picked up by Alyson Publications.

Alyson Publishing brought out a Special 20th Anniversary edition in 2010, replacing the original black and white drawings with full-color illustrations by its illustrator Diana Souza, a strategy intended to make the book more modern and kid-friendly. That same year, Alyson Publishing company folded and the book went out of print for some time.

Later, the book was picked up by Candlewick Publications and the original illustrations were replaced in post-2015 editions by Laura Cornell, who made one of Heather's moms look like Lesléa Newman. When Heather acknowledges that she does not have a daddy it makes her sad. Esposito argues that because Heather gets upset that she does not have a father instead of wondering why she has two mothers, it portrays that there is a problem with having two mommies. However, Newman later explained her regret in incorporating this detail into the book. Because parents were writing complaints about not reading the book to their children due to the scene, she decided to omit the section altogether in her 10th edition.

Editor Cat Yampell, though Heather has Two Mommies has faced backlash and criticism, the book has also received praise. For example, Newman explains that multiple presses have expressed interest in more manuscripts, including queer stories. Scholars Brianna Burke and Kristina Greenfield argue that Heather Has Two Mommies can create a school environment of tolerance and inclusion of members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

It is parodied in the 2006 Dav Pilkey book Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People. In it, the parallel-universe Miss Singerbrains (the school librarian) invites the two main characters, George and Harold, to read the book Mommy Has Two Heathers as part of that universe's school's banned books week. Newman claims they were unsuccessful in their attempts, and instead paid for advertisements in local newspapers to convince citizens to vote against the construction of 5 new libraries in the Fayetteville area.

In another instance, the Wasilla Public Library in Alaska also neglected to shelve the same two books, Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate. Ironically, the books were sent in as a gift during Banned Books Week. Furthermore, Robinson recognizes that keeping LGBTQ subject matter from children would do them a disservice as homosexual couples become a recognized part of society.

Heather Has Two Mommies

Summary

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Further reading