Kansan.com – By Lisa Anderson
Emily Goddard and Claven Snow don?t need a dictionary to define their relationship.
Emily Goddard dated women for years before she met her current boyfriend. ?I was afraid I was going to lose my queer membership card,? the Lawrence sophomore says with a chuckle. After this remark, Goddard?s smile fades as she gazes out the window and discusses her family and friends who are still trying to understand and accept her somewhat new life.
Emily Goddard, Lawrence sophomore, and Claven Snow, Lawrence resident, have been dating since June. The couple considers themselves polysexual.
Goddard, now 19, came out as a lesbian to her parents when she was 13 years old. They responded with a positive yet unexpected, ?We know.? She came out to her friends and schoolmates when she was 15, and everyone was pretty supportive, she says. Recently, however, Goddard faced her father?s hesitation and friends? confusion when she began dating a man.
Loving someone your family doesn?t love is difficult, but many queer people go through this, Goddard says. Until recently, when Claven Snow, Lawrence resident, and Goddard began dating, Goddard hadn?t faced the family-versus-lover conflict.