{"id":10595,"date":"2026-04-21T16:05:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=10595"},"modified":"2026-04-21T16:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:05:25","slug":"internet-blasts-gay-couple-for-mocking-their-baby-asking-for-mama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2026\/04\/internet-blasts-gay-couple-for-mocking-their-baby-asking-for-mama.html","title":{"rendered":"Internet Blasts Gay Couple For Mocking Their Baby Asking For \u201cMama\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: Shane McAnally \/ Instagram | Right: Mbaumatl \/ commons.wikimedia.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The internet has blasted a couple of gay men who shared a video of their baby that was born via surrogate asking for \u201cmama.\u201d Gay Grammy-winning songwriter Shane McAnally posted a video on Instagram<\/a> of his son, Texson Ray, sitting with McAnally\u2019s husband, Michael Baum. During the video, Baum asks Texson, who he wants, \u201cDada or Pop?\u201d Texson appears to respond \u201cmama,\u201d which causes Baum to laugh and say, \u201cNo, there is no mama.\u201d When Texson begins to cry and appears to continue to ask for \u201cmama,\u201d McAnally can be heard laughing as well. The video included the overlay \u201cbaby has 2 dads\u2026 chose neither\u201d and the text, \u201cwho\u2019s gonna tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n

The video soon went viral, with images of Texson\u2019s crying face sparking outrage amongst conservatives and children\u2019s rights advocates. \u201cThis baby will never know the warmth and loving care of his mother, or any mother,\u201d wrote Live Action\u2019s Lila Rose<\/a>. \u201cAnd this was done by design, to serve the selfish desires of two adult men. God have mercy on this baby and on us for allowing this.\u201d Rose has often spoken out against surrogacy, claiming it commodifies children. While Texson is probably too young to really understand the word \u201cmama,\u201d Rose stated the need is \u201cinnate.\u201d \u201cTreating this baby\u2019s innate need for his mother as a joke for social media is so sad,\u201d she said on Facebook<\/a>. The Daily Wire\u2019s <\/em>Michael Knowles called the video \u201cthe most horrifying video I\u2019ve ever seen in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

McAnally has pushed back against the criticism, saying he was not mocking Texson. \u201cWe found it hilarious. He\u2019s five months old, he obviously doesn\u2019t understand English,\u201d he told The Daily Mail<\/em><\/a>. \u201cI was appalled by what some people have been saying. Some people have taken it out of context,\u201d he added. He said that he and Baum thought it was funny because babies usually say \u201cdada\u201d first. \u201cBabies usually say dada first, but people wouldn\u2019t then say the babies are only wanting their dads? It doesn\u2019t really make sense. People have been saying some awful things,\u201d said McAnally, who called Texson, \u201cthe happiest baby in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conservatives, however, have pushed back. \u201c\u2018He\u2019s five months old. He doesn\u2019t understand English.\u2019 Right. The baby understands something deeper,\u201d wrote Katy Faust on X<\/a>, quoting McAnally. She noted that most languages have some form of the word \u201cmama\u201d in most languages worldwide. \u201cThat\u2019s not coincidence. That\u2019s anthropology. \u2018Ma\u2019 is one of the very first sounds a baby can make. It\u2019s the natural position of the mouth during nursing. Long before a child understands words, he forms that sound. And who answers?\u201d asked Faust. She stated Texson\u2019s distress comes more from realizing that he is missing a mother. \u201cAnd what makes that video so disturbing isn\u2019t just the cruelty of laughing at a distressed baby. It\u2019s the denial of the human non-negotiable that children come from, and are made for, a mother,\u201d added Faust. \u201cThat baby isn\u2019t confused. The gay men are.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The internet has blasted a couple of gay men who shared a video of their baby that was born via surrogate asking for \u201cmama.\u201d Gay Grammy-winning songwriter Shane McAnally posted a video on Instagram of his son, Texson Ray, sitting with McAnally\u2019s husband, Michael Baum. During the video, Baum asks Texson, who he wants, \u201cDada…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":10598,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nInternet Blasts Gay Couple For Mocking Their Baby Asking For \u201cMama\u201d<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Viral video of baby with two dads sparks backlash, reigniting debate over surrogacy, parenting, and a child\u2019s need for a mother.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2026\/04\/internet-blasts-gay-couple-for-mocking-their-baby-asking-for-mama.html\" 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