Rachel, Laura and Clarence’s Story

"We are Rachel and Laura and both identify as gay women. We have a seven month old son called Clarence. Not forgetting our four cats Molly, Lilly, Sioux and Stranger. Oh, and our house rabbit Jimmy who thinks she’s a cat.

We wanted to get involved in the project to show that families come in a variety of forms. We both value the battles for equality that the LGBT+ generation fought before us. We wanted to show that families are diverse and the traditional nuclear family has evolved. It was also important for us to possibly help others see what is possible and how far things have come in the fight for equality.

Greatest struggle - The assumptions of others about our family make up and the questions about Clarence's conception.

Greatest achievement - Clarence is a very happy, laid back and smiley baby that makes us feel proud and like our family is complete.

We want our photo to show the connection between all three of us that is present even at the moment of birth. The look of love from Laura to me as Clarence is born has been captured really well. The photo is emotional as we have both been crying with joy. We hope the elation and joy of birth has been captured.

We want the project to let people know that LGBT+ families exist and that we are the same as any other families. We are proud and want to be visible rather than hidden away. We wanted to show how much things have changed in the fight for LGBT+ equality."