Having children, for instance, makes it about as easy to remain closeted as it is to be invisible. And Nancy Gill and Marcelle Latourneau of Bridgewater remember the day they brunched with their daughter at the local eatery, Bob's Big Breakfast. In January alone, lesbians seeking insemination at WomanCare came from Framingham, Winchester, Newton, Worcester, Sharon, Stoneham, and the Cape, according to practice administrator Lorie Miller. Andover realtor Jeannette Belben, who's recently sold several homes to lesbian mothers, says that the phenomenon of gay and lesbian parents looking to buy in the suburbs has become something of a trend. And it's not hard to see why.
Many suburban towns offer lots of house and land for much less money than a home in the city.
And some parents say that they feel more comfortable sending their kids to suburban schools than to urban ones. Brian and his partner, for instance, moved to Concord because of its excellent public schools. Other suburban parents have simply decided to make their homes in the same types of neighborhoods they grew up in. The two were already living in the suburbs when they decided to have their sons through a surrogacy arrangement with a mother in another city. While being the only openly gay fathers around has its strains, both say they enjoy the quieter pace of a suburban lifestyle.