Malcolm O Varner

A Family of Their Own Malcolm O Varner

The only element missing from Max and Brian's three-year marriage is a child. After Max's promotion to dean of arts and sciences at Greater Cleveland Community College and Brian returns from a national LGBTQ leadership conference addressing mental health within communities of color, they diligently embark on their shared vision of fatherhood. However, religious mockery by close family members soon become distractions along the way as Max, the central character, reflects upon the true nature of family with the support of his husband and their friends. Once their five-year-old son, Donté, moves in with them and an unexpected hate crime strikes their lives, Max receives the opportunity to find the answer he seeks. Despite his own anxiety and idealistic thinking, it's up to him to navigate their family through this trying ordeal through grit, faith, and most painfully of all, acceptance.