'Gay Marriage Doesn't Just Redefine Marriage, but Also Parenting,' Says Woman Raised by Two Mothers

A woman raised by two mothers has spoken out about her experience and how she wants all children to be raised by a mother and a father, that gay marriage is hurting children.

Heather Barwick wrote a letter to the gay community entitled "Your Kids Are Hurting," in which she described that she missed out on being raised by her father after her mother left him for a woman she loved. And even though Barwick wrote that she felt like "gay people are my people," she had words to say: "I don't support gay marriage."

"Same-sex marriage and parenting withholds either a mother or father from a child while telling him or her that it doesn't matter. That it's all the same. But it's not. A lot of us, a lot of your kids, are hurting. My father's absence created a huge hole in me, and I ached every day for a dad," Barwick explained in her letter published by The Federalist. "I loved my mom's partner, but another mom could never have replaced the father I lost."

Barwick noted that she once campaigned for gay marriage but after marrying a man and having four children with him, she came to realize the importance of having a heterosexual partnership. She noted that gay people can be good parents but that there may be something missing that their children are afraid to say.

"Gay marriage doesn't just redefine marriage, but also parenting. There are so many of us [children]. Many of us are too scared to speak up and tell you about our hurt and pain, because for whatever reason it feels like you're not listening. That you don't want to hear. If we say we are hurting because we were raised by same-sex parents, we are either ignored or labeled a hater. This isn't about hate at all," Barwick continued.

"I know this is a hard conversation. But we need to talk about it," she concluded. "If anyone can talk about hard things, it's us. You taught me that."