Gay activists take part in a protest event called "March against Hatred" in St. Petersburg November 2, 2014. The activists are marching in opposition towards the aggressive Russian government policy due to the war in Ukraine. REUTERS/Alexander D
Gay activists take part in a protest event called "March against Hatred" in St. Petersburg November 2, 2014. The activists are marching in opposition towards the aggressive Russian government policy due to the war in Ukraine. REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk

Sally Kohn, a CNN contributor has sparked controversy with her recent essay titled, “I’m gay. And I want my kid to be gay, too,” in a popular newspaper. The 37-year-old political commentator lives with her partner Sarah Hansen and has a 6-year-old daughter, Willa Hansen-Kohn. Her opinion about her daughter has sparked controversy on Twitter and other social media platforms.

“But more often than not, we define happiness as some variation on our own lives, or at least the lives of our expectations. If we went to college, we want our kids to go to college,” wrote Sally in an essay for The Washington Post. Kohn said she had “ridiculously supportive” parents who respected her decision to be gay and she wants to provide the same support system to her daughter too.

To make their daughter aware about the idea of being a gay, Sally and her partner have also bought “every picture book featuring gay families.” In addition, they also have “nontraditional-gender-role books” which has stories of princess fighting the dragons and also about a boy who loves to wear dresses, Sally wrote in her essay. Sally also added that when her daughter plays house games with her stuffed koala bears as the mom and dad, she and her partner “gently remind” the child that the bears could also be “dad and dad.” It does not matter to them if their daughter changes her narrative or not as it is completely “her choice.”

She also accepts that the fact that if her daughter were gay, she would “undoubtedly face challenges and hurdles she wouldn’t encounter if she were straight.” But she would still want her daughter to be what she wants to be. She would support her daughter's every decision when she grows up, wrote Sally.

Sally also wrote that she does not encourage her daughter to play with dolls or wear pink coloured clothes. She does not like the fact that “the idea that heterosexuality should be compulsory.” But the mother also added that so far her daughter is crazy about boys and does not seem to have the tendency of being a gay. Sally faced criticism on Twitter where many users felt “sad” for her daughter as she “makes her toys moms and dad” and “instinctively wants a traditional family,” writes ‪@JulieLvsPACKERS on Twitter.

For any questions/comments on the article, you may contact the writer at: n.tewari@ibtimes.com.au