“Treat Us the Same Way You Treat Other Parents”: edyn’s Mel on Her Parenting Journey

Interview with Mel, General Manager at Locke East Side Gallery, edyn

Hi Mel! Thanks for chatting with us, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Mel and I´m the General Manager for the Locke at East Side Gallery. I started with edyn in October 2021 and love the diversity and freedom to be yourself within the company.

As a parent yourself, what advice would you give to an LGBTQ+ first-time parent?

To never lose faith… be well prepared to kick some butts! Always keep your cool. Make sure you understand the law in your country and that you are well prepared to adapt to the environment for your own child (which in my case is in Germany). And then be prepared to feel unconditional love for a little human being from the first second and raise them as a strong human being.

What advice would you give to a parent whose child has come out as LGBTQ+?

Love is Love. Accept your child as it is, support them every second – assure them that they are absolutely fine the way that they are. Haters will be haters – so be brave and badass when required.

Have you had any difficulties in the workplace as an LGBTQ+ parent? If yes, how do you think these could have been prevented?

Overall, I never experienced any difficulties at my workplace being a gay mom. I just would recommend any company to treat LGBTQ+ parents just as they would treat all “other” parents. Because that is what we are at the end of the day. Caring parents.

What workplace policies are important to you?

The same rules should apply to all parents e.g., paid childcare if they are sick, tax-free amount etc.

What tips would you give to an organization to make sure their workplace environment is supportive for LGBTQ+ parents?

Understand that the law might not be the same for LGBTQ+ parents as it is for “other” parents. Due to this, it's even more important that the same rules and benefits apply in the workplace setting. Educate all employees and raise awareness, so that differences are eliminated.

What are your parenting highlights?

It's just the best thing that could ever happen to you. I have loved seeing the progress of a small human being starting to crawl, walk, and talk. You explore the world through the eyes of a child, facing their struggles and empowering them, with the end goal of them leading fulfilling lives where they reach their full potential.

What are some of the unexpected challenges you’ve had?

My wife and I were well prepared, at least that's what we thought.

But a thing we always struggled with and still do is to find LGBTQ+ kid books. There are barely any books in the German language but a couple in English. My suggestion: If you are an illustrator – do LGBTQ+ kid books! They deserve to have books that include their family picture as well!

What advice would you give to people in the workplace who want to be allies for LGBTQ+ parents in their organization?

Treat us the same way you treat other parents. Understand how we live in our family and how we educate our children in terms of having two mamas or two papas or whatever a family might look like. Answer questions and ask them as well - shared knowledge is the key to learning and overall growth.