Episode 37: My Rainbow Tribe

Shannon Louise Ashton was a pioneer for same-sex women who always wanted children but found out along the way she had no desire to be with a man so had to think outside the box. She started her motherhood journey via the QFG in the early 2000s at a time when it was all very taboo. Almost 2 decades on a couple of relationships along the way, she has fulfilled her rainbow tribe of 5 children using the popular choice Surfer donor known as id number 188.

On record, there are 48 children, many still unknown and unaccounted for, with some surprise unexpected encounters across the way like coincidentally one of her children going to the same daycare as another donor sibling. With her oldest child Zac about to reach his adult years, we discuss how they plan to navigate this and the prep talks required.

Shannon has quite the positive outlook in life, but she has had to deal with a few dramas along the way firstly them being given the wrong donor they had asked for, having to join the donor sibling registry and DNA sites in order to find more of her children’s half-siblings and then there are the questions from her children about their donor and wanting to meet him and her having to explain that this is unlikely to happen with the donor, they ended up getting. In her own words “sometimes what’s meant to happen just happens”.

Facebook:	Shannon Louise(Shannon Ashton)
Group:	Sperm Donation Australia
Instagram:	@myrainbowtribe
Website:	My Rainbow Tribe
Other Media:	The Informer (joy.org.au) BeachGrit