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Sir Elton John And David Furnish Fear Son Faces 'Stigma'

Elton John David Furnish

First Posted: 10/02/2012 09:01 Updated: 10/02/2012 11:36   WENN

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Sir Elton John and husband David Furnish have taken the advice of counsellors on bringing up their son as they feel he may be "stigmatised".

In an interview with Attitude magazine, the couple talked about their life as parents of 13-month-old son Zachary who was born to a surrogate mother.

Speaking about Zachary's upbringing, Sir Elton said: "We're going to have challenges, of course we are. But we talked about that before we had him."

Elton's Canadian filmmaker partner David, added: "I think he's going to have a lot of attention thrust upon him.

"He's going to be potentially doubly stigmatised, because one of his parents is extremely famous and because he comes from two dads.

"We've taken advice from counsellors. We've put a whole scrapbook together about his creation, the people who were involved in the process and how the intent was about love."

He added: "We're going to raise him to be proud of who he is."

And whilst singer Elton and David may face challenges raising their child, they are currently hands-on parents taking baby Zachary with them on their travels.

Speaking on Good Morning America recently, Elton said: "At the moment, he's portable so he can come with us. He's been to Hawaii twice, Australia, Italy, France, Singapore, Canada. He comes where we go. That's going to be a little more difficult when he's four years old and we take him to school. I want to be there much more when he's in school."

Talking about their new life with Zachary, Elton told Attitude: "I can't tell you how brilliant this year has been and how much love he's brought us and how much we're getting.

"We thought that the civil partnership brought us together, but having a child has been magnificent, and I never thought I would have a kid.

"I don't feel 65, which I will be next year. Now, having a kid there's so much more to do. There's so much more I want to see happen before I die."

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Sir Elton John and husband David Furnish have taken the advice of counsellors on bringing up their son as they feel he may be "stigmatised". In an interview with Attitude magazine, the couple talke...
Sir Elton John and husband David Furnish have taken the advice of counsellors on bringing up their son as they feel he may be "stigmatised". In an interview with Attitude magazine, the couple talke...
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richard steve
0 Fans
10:58 PM on 02/19/2012
I feel saddened by how judgmental people are. Aside, to those who think mothers are so wonderful, I was abandoned by mine, and know that a mother can be capable of great abuse towards a child. All I ever wanted as a child was to be loved, and I cared not a blind bit whether that was by a male, a female, a male and a female, 2 females, 2 males, or as in some cultures, one male and several females! I'm not homosexual, but reading some of these comments, I feel great sympathy to anyone who is.
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kittyann
8 Fans
10:41 PM on 02/12/2012
Elton John says he never thought he would have a kid. He didn't have a kid - some woman had a baby and gave it away and some day that kid will want to find his Mommy and his read daddy. I hope they have all the evidence and papers ready to give him and I hope the kid accepts their version of why he could not be raised by his own Mommy and Daddy.
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the johnston
17 Fans
07:21 PM on 02/13/2012
you've got a lot to say for yourself on this subject, i would highly recommend you got yourself a life
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kittyann
8 Fans
11:06 PM on 02/13/2012
You are right - I do have a lot to say and that's why I said it. That's what the Huffpost is for. Have you any objections? By the way, I do have a life, a wonderful life, thanks be to God.
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outdoorsgirl
0 Fans
09:20 PM on 02/12/2012
I really don't care about someone's sexual preference, but think when you make that choice (yes I think it's a choice) that you should give up certain things...and I think children is one of those. I don't think it's fair to the children involved to bring them up in a situation that they have no choice about. What you do with your own life is fine...but don't make your children suffer for your choices. Get a dog or three.
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geoff ward
19 Fans
07:56 PM on 02/12/2012
Lets face it Elton. Your boy isn`t going to be brought up on a council estate in Peckam. If he was to be, he may have a rather difficult time at school. Sleep overs could prove tricky. I have no problem with gays getting it on but children involved is another matter. Like Madonna, your selfish desires come first.
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kittyann
8 Fans
10:47 PM on 02/12/2012
More than anything or anyone in the whole world, a kid needs his/her Mom. What are they going to tell him when he says where is my Mom, what happened to her, is she still alive and why does she not want me and can I not see her now? I'm grown up now, but oh how I still miss my Mother. I actually don't miss my Dad, but I miss my Mother so much. And I had her for all my years growing up - just glad of that. If I thought that she was alive somewhere on the earth living, I would go to the ends of the earth to find her.
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geoff ward
19 Fans
11:43 PM on 02/12/2012
How true kittyann. My mother died two years ago and i,m only just starting to come to terms with it. Not only that but i never really got on that well with her. As they say, you don`t know what you`ve got till its gone. Take care.*
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oxjr
278 Fans
 
07:56 PM on 02/12/2012
Good grief. The child is going to exist in a bubble of wealth and privilege, so don't worry about it.Anyone who tries to bully the lad will soon regret it. Rather than worry about the stigma, you both need to sit down and figure out how to expose your son to all the cruel and hard life experiences so that he builds character and resolve. Most parents would love to be able to protect their children from everything - but when you do that you end up with adults who can't cope with anything.
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Marian27T
13 Fans
06:40 PM on 02/12/2012
It's not fair on the kid. He needs a mother and a proper family. That's no way to bring a child into the world.
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MarieNat
Lobbyist, wanna make something of it?
462 Fans
 
02:35 PM on 02/12/2012
I think that's changing. Their son is young enough that hopefully those prejudices will have receded into the past by the time he's in his teens.
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kittyann
8 Fans
10:57 PM on 02/12/2012
Your "hopes" are delusions
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Stanley Austin
27 Fans
02:01 PM on 02/12/2012
Why are so many comments removed ?.We are entitled to express our opinions irrespective as to how they sound and written.There should have been a referendum when they made homosexuality legal.That,to me,was utterly sick and perverse.Ken Livingstone made a true comment which gained him many votes: Quote,"The Tory party is riddled with homosexuals"Unquote..Ken,that has been known for many years.Hence the reason why the 'shirt lifters' gained the majority of votes..Huffington,if you block this,I will switch over to BT BROADBAND.THAT'S A PROMISE
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mwpd789
48 Fans
02:51 PM on 02/12/2012
Rights for people should never be put to a referendum. That is the purpose of government, to protect the minority from the oppression of the majority. Your opinion of gays is wrong and in the extreme minority both in the UK, the US and MOST of the world and getting smaller day by day.
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PatMcgintysgoat
19 Fans
10:08 PM on 02/12/2012
Comments are removed because Huff post do not believe in freedom of speech or opinions, if comments do not agree with their belief then it is removed, they are the most biased and one sided "publication" on record and a disgrace to the airwaves
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bevsteve
5 Fans
12:39 PM on 02/12/2012
It's not just the fact of being brought up by two fathers, they might do a great job! but he has actually got a mother! I don't know if he gets to see her, but he will have to have the added burden of the feelings of rejection from her.
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mwpd789
48 Fans
02:55 PM on 02/12/2012
There would be no feelings of rejection because they will explain to him how he came into the world. They mentioned in the article about them making a scapbook as to how he came into the world. As he gets older where he gets to the age of understanding what rejection means and feels, he'll be able to understand what surrogate mother means and will be able to accept that. If parents are able to raise and teach their kids with love, they can accept that which is why children that are adopted by parents that are of a different race, or by just one parent can accept that as they get older and be just fine with it because they will know their parents that they are with love them very much.
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kittyann
8 Fans
12:41 AM on 02/13/2012
A scrapbook? If I came into their possession like that and was handed a SCRAPBOOK I would go mad. How are you so knowledgeable that you know exactly how this little boy "will be able to accept that". Nobody knows that, so you can't say that. You don't know how that little boy will feel on finding out the truth about his Mum's as you put it "rejection". There's a barrel-full more than rejection here to be accepted and I'm quite sure he will never be able to accept it. No one could, not even a robot.
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kittyann
8 Fans
10:51 PM on 02/12/2012
Well I would hope that Elton John and his partner would realise that this child needs some input from his real mother, even if only from time to time, like a few visits per year - it's only natural that the child would benefit from this and surely they would want what is best for THE CHILD
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nolan pete
0 Fans
09:22 AM on 02/12/2012
its not the stigma of having gay parents its the stigma of having 2 famous gay parents that will be the trouble
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kittyann
8 Fans
10:52 PM on 02/12/2012
What planet are you living on - of course it's the stigma of having gay parents. Did you have gay parents?
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Great England
3 Fans
09:02 AM on 02/12/2012
Huff loves gays
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kittyann
8 Fans
12:43 AM on 02/13/2012
Yup
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Debzi
16 Fans
11:01 PM on 02/11/2012
Civil partner not husband.
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kittyann
8 Fans
10:53 PM on 02/12/2012
Here here. I'm so glad to see there are so many posters on here with common sense.
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rash8909
58 Fans
08:57 PM on 02/11/2012
Any stimatising will be down to you Reg, no one else.
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trailerguy
161 Fans
05:34 PM on 02/11/2012
great when kid is ten your be 75, and he will be changing your diaper
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Graham Brand
25 Fans
07:44 PM on 02/11/2012
Ha!! Nice one ... and probably not far off the mark. Poor kid!
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kittyann
8 Fans
12:44 AM on 02/13/2012
I reckon this boy will have run a mile long before that.
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