Just Jet

Written by Jet from LGBT+ @Sky.

My name is Jet and I have worked for SKY for 9 years in Leeds; I am currently on the stepping into management program.

When it comes to identity for me my name shapes a large part of who I am as I wasn’t born with the name Jet. I have a very girly Christian name which from around the time I was ready to come out as a gay woman I chose to use my nickname I had from birth as my first name as it was more fitting for my tomboy persona.

I have been married to my amazing wife Abby for 11 years and we became foster carers for the Wakefield city council 4 years ago. Being a foster carer has been the hardest and most rewarding job we have ever done as we have looked after 12 children ranging from 1 night to over 2 years. We have had the most amazing support from the fostering team and have had no issues when it came to us being an LGBT couple. As a couple we would love to have more LGBT families being foster carers as there are so many children who just need a safe, loving home to grow and develop.

This month we are becoming adoptive parents to an amazing 5 year old girl who came to our home as a foster child. Being an LGBT parent has the same daily struggles as any other parent. We do get the occasional look from a stranger to work out who gave birth to her but again society has moved on from when I came out nearly 20 years ago and no longer an issue!!

What makes me proud are the fantastic LGBT community whom campaigned for equality with stonewall to be allowed to have a civil partnership and then the right to have a full marriage certificate. To be able to call my partner my wife is a huge part of my identity now as well as being a mum/foster mum.

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