Two mums have shared their experiences raising their sons as same sex parents in 2021, in a bid to raise awareness of the need for acceptance.
Charley, 34, and Ruth, 40, say they have faced a number of hurdles as same-sex parents of two boys.
The couple, who both work for North West Ambulance Service, want their sons to grow up in a world where same-sex parents are normalised.
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Charley and Ruth, who asked to be referred to by their first names, married in a winter ceremony in 2016 and soon after started IVF treatment using the money they received from wedding gifts.
The couple's immediate family and close friends were very supportive of their decision to start a family, and the pair started their path to parenthood excited about what the future could hold.
But upon their first trip to the fertility clinic, Charley and Ruth were greeted by doctors who they say seemed 'uncomfortable' answering their questions.
Charley, 34, told the ECHO: "It was a very awkward conversation. For me, it had become such a normal natural process.
"But to sit in a room in front of a professional with a blank expression on his face really put us into a insecure state of mind."
Charley and Ruth left feeling deflating and defeated.
Ruth, 40, added: "What was supposed to be a nice process, wasn't."
Charley continued: "We have come so far in life and society, but until you've had a moment where someone makes a derogatory comment or looks at you with a blank or dirty expression, you realise maybe it hasn't changed all that much.
"While 10,000 people could accept you and support you, it just takes one person to make you feel so insecure."
Despite their initial setbacks, Ruth became pregnant using Charley's egg and a sperm donor.
Ruth gave birth in September 2017 to the couple's first son and in September 2020 the couple decided to adopt.
As their boys grow closer to school age, Charley and Ruth worry about some of the comments he might receive for having two mums.
Charley said their eldest had just turned three when he asked where his dad was.
Charley said: "I told him he hasn't got a dad.
"He's fine with it, because he trusts us and we're his mums.
"But one day someone could make a comment to him that could change him."
The pair both expressed frustration at the general consensus from people 'outside the bubble' who don't understand the reality of the torment they and their boys could face.
Ruth added: "If it's not in your life, you don't see it happening."
Charley agreed: "You can sympathise and empathise all day long but you cannot claim to know how that feels.
"To say everything is fine now feels like an easy way out."
Elsewhere, the pair have struggled to find inclusive literature and media to share with their children where they feel same-sex parents are normalised rather than trivialised.
Charley said: "When you read about two kids on an adventure, it's never an ordinary book where it just so happens they've got two mums.
"You really have to go looking for that kind of book and we really struggled with that."
In the subtle yet very real face of adversity, Charley and Ruth hope their boys can grow up with a wider world view to be accepting of differing attitudes.
Ruth added: "We need them to know their life is perfectly fine and if someone turns around and tells them no, they need to understand it's just an opinion."
She continued: "We never want our children to be told by another child that having two mums isn't right.
"But if we can prepare them for that, they will know how to deal with it."
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