Mia Mala McDonald

My name is Mia Mala McDonald, I am a photographer and rainbow parent.  I'm creating this book of portraits and stories from around Australia and hope to raise enough funds to cover design and printing costs. 

This projects speak both to my identification with these families and to the overwhelming absence of such images in the mainstream media.

During the 2017 Australian marriage plebiscite, I was shocked by the negative conversations around rainbow families and our children. Rainbow families are massively underrepresented in the media. My partner Steph and I are among the first wave of families to be directly impacted by huge legal changes, from the right to marry to having access to IVF and adoption. Once in a Lullaby is a celebration of these outcomes - that so many people fought so long and so hard for. 

We’re an important part of the Australian history and our stories should be recorded and told.

Andrew, 42, Anderson 41, Cathareya 4
Liberty Grove, NSW 

"Anderson and I spent four years trying to make our adoption a reality. We initially had to push for law changes in Colombia to be changed in Australia, and then almost every step of the way there was resistance - we learnt a lot about ourselves in the process and I really do believe that having acheived our goal of forming our family there isn't anything that can be thrown at us that we can't handle. We talk about having two dads and being adopted. In our family I'm adopted, our daughter is adopted and our cat is adopted. While we were in Colombia Cata's grandfather asked about Anderson - her answer was that he is the one who looks after all the adopted people. “

Image: Claire, Catherine and Ettie (10 months old)

Northcote

 “Personally we noticed a Total lack of representation and we couldn’t find anybody that looked like our family, we went through our pregnancy under a veil of heteronormativity and every word, every congratulations came with a certain lack of truth.”

Lisa (36) Hugo (3)

Yarraville

“The Australian marriage plebiscite was pretty confronting. I found myself grateful that Hugo was too young to understand what was going on. To me, the whole process was widely unnecessary, offensive and damaging. Hugo's other mum and I had been together for over a decade when we decided to have a child together. We opted for an anonymous donor and went through ART - I was Hugo's birth mum. It was a really exciting and lovely time and we were blessed with a trouble free conception, pregnancy and birth. Hugo's other mum and I separated when Hugo was two, however are committed co-parents and share custody. "

This is as much about what it means to be an Australian as it is about sexuality. There is no sensationalism here. It is an archive and a documentation of our rapidly changing community and the lives of people who offer brave new visions of what it means to be family in Australia today.

OUTCOMES: 

This project represents the convergence of Australia’s diverse social, cultural and political experiences and will be a valued contribution to the Australian arts sector, health and medical industry, education institutes and the wider community.

Through sharing these personal and important stories this project will encourage people of all ages to affirm and appreciate diversity and directly contribute to the process of dismantling the destructive power of prejudice and intolerance towards rainbow families.

This project is an important concept that will highlight Australians reputation for creating meaningful, engaged and important works that are both inclusive and investigative. It is a considered project with the long term goal to be seen by a national and international audience both from the photographic world and beyond.

Finally, it's for our daughter Sidney, And for all the other kids of rainbow parents now and into the future. 

Crew:

Photographer: Mia Mala McDonald 

The book will be designed by Jack Loel 

Published and distributed by M.33 Publishers.

Some love and attention from media and friends:

Rainbow Families Australia 

QNews 

Courtney Barnett

Supported by: 

Rainbow Families Australia 

Rainbow Families Victoria

Pride Foundation

Lesbians Incorporated

All funds raised will go towards the design and printing of the book. 

I have previously received the GALFA Small Grant of $500 and the LINC Grant of $1,000 to help fund this project.

I held a print sale of my portraits of Singer Courtney Barnett and Helen Garner which raised $1500.

I have contributed 70% of the production costs to produce the images, travel, marketing and research. 

I have received In kind donations ( Steph has volunteered to do the invite design, a mate who is a lawyer is helping with copyright stuff, my publishers are going to project manage the project and my dear friend is going to help me edit the book and select final images. The time these legends have given to the project is worth $9,500. 

The amount requested via this campaign will cover the design and printing and promotion of the book.

One last thing, on a personal note I really understand that due to Covid 19 many people may not be in a position to donate a great deal at the moment, but that every little bit would help.  Each contribution will be very gratefully received.

Without your help this project cannot be completed and these stories cannot be told.