Boyhood Reimagined

Stories of Queer Moms Raising Sons

NEW BOOK

Published: February 2024 by Motina Books.
ISBN: 978-1-77258-486-8

A family with two moms and a son seems pretty ordinary to many Americans in 2025. But with the reelection of Trump, the rise of Christian nationalism, and the ultra-conservative Supreme court, queer moms face ongoing and accelerating challenges to their families. Boyhood Reimagined asks particular questions about parenting and feminism during a time when traditional male dominance continues to shape societal expectations, limit opportunities for women and non-binary individuals, and influence political and economic power structures.

Do queer moms practicing feminist parenting raise sons with a healthy relationship to gender and masculinity? Are sons of queer moms protected from a culture of misogyny? And what important lessons do queer moms of sons have to teach other progressive parents?

"… an honest and uplifting look into the lives of queer moms raising sons
told in their own funny, feisty, and loving voices…"

Nancy Churnin, award-winning author of Rainbow Allies, the True Story of Kids Who Stood Against Hate

  • "Boyhood Reimagined is the book I wish had existed when I was coming into my own as both a queer person and a parent. In a moment when our rights and families feel more precarious than ever, Ada Malone and Gail Marie Schwartz have gathered a deeply necessary collection of voices—queer moms raising sons with the radical hope that we can reshape masculinity from within. These essays and conversations don’t offer easy answers, but they illuminate the daily, intentional work of raising boys who can resist patriarchy rather than perpetuate it. With honesty, tenderness, and an unflinching awareness of the challenges ahead, this book offers solidarity and inspiration to anyone invested in building a better future. It’s a must-read."

    Jessi Hempel, author of The Family Outing

  • "In a world where mirrors and windows can change and save lives, Boyhood Reimagined provides an honest and uplifting look into the lives of queer moms raising sons told in their own funny, feisty, and loving voices. Editors Ada Malone and Gail Marlene Schwartz have done a great service in gathering these essays like a bouquet for readers so that queer families can see they are not alone and heteronormative families can recognize the universalities of parents wanting their children to flourish. In a world where too many boys are encouraged to harden themselves to empathy and dominate others using slurs and physical attacks, this book offers compelling portraits of families that live their belief that caring and supporting others is the truest sign of strength, lighting a way to a vision of a happier and more hopeful future for us all."

    Nancy Churnin, award-winning author of Rainbow Allies, the True Story of Kids Who Stood Against Hate

  • “There is no better time for this book. Boyhood Reimagined offers a roadmap and reassurance to any parent trying to raise a boy who is ‘loving, nurturing, and collaborative.’ The essays and interviews in this book give me hope that as a society we can, indeed, raise sons who embody healthy and happy masculinity and become role models for us all!”

    Kate Hopper, author of Ready for Air: A Journey Through Premature Motherhood and Use Your Words: A Writing Guide for Mothers

  • “‘Raising boys is indeed the ultimate act of feminist defiance,’ writes one lesbian mom in Boyhood Reimagined; this collection is full of such gems—the kind of intimate, thoughtful writing I wished for as a lesbian mom coming out when my son was a pre-teen. While some pieces deal with ‘typical’ parenting challenges through a lesbian lens (like an emotionally sensitive boy for whom the world can be intensely overwhelming, or the juggling act of single-parenting), other essays address concerns about the effect of a profoundly patriarchal culture on a male child of lesbians, providing male role models, or homophobia in schools. At the core of each piece, I hear the underlying heartbeat: I want my son to be a good person. The earned wisdom and honest reflections in this collection will inform and hearten many lesbian parents."

    Deborah A. Miranda, author of Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir and Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literatures

  • "What does it look like to raise boys without traditional, cis male fathers? Amazing and limitless! What is the world coming to? The best yet. A book like this has always been deeply necessary, but especially now, as retrograde viewpoints—the last sulphurous gasps of obsolescent patriarchy—aim to re-mold American society into gender roles that play to and placate weaknesses and deny access to each person's and family's birthright of wholeness. Boyhood Reimagined is both a model and a long-overdue celebration."

    Candace Walsh, co-editor, Dear John I Love Jane and Greetings from Janeland

  • A deeply necessary collection of voices—queer moms raising sons with the radical hope that we can reshape masculinity from within. "

    Jessi Hempel, author of The Family Outing

  • “There is no better time for this book. Boyhood Reimagined offers a roadmap and reassurance to any parent trying to raise a boy who is ‘loving, nurturing, and collaborative.’”

    Kate Hopper, author of Ready for Air: A Journey Through Premature Motherhood

  • “At the core of each piece, I hear the underlying heartbeat: I want my son to be a good person.”

    Deborah A. Miranda, author of Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir

  • “Boyhood Reimagined is both a model and a long-overdue celebration.”

    Candace Walsh, co-editor, Dear John I Love Jane and Greetings from Janeland