Update on Ford: Company will Advertise in LGBT Publications

A quick update on the rumor that Ford was pulling ads for Jaguar and Land Rover from LGBT publications because of pressure from the far right-wing American Family Association: Ford has reversed its decision not to run the ads, and will be placing them in such publications.

I know many of the large LGBT organizations were active this past week getting Ford to change its mind. Thanks for being the voice of our community.

Tea May Reduce Ovarian Cancer

A new study by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, concludes that drinking two or more cups of tea per day may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. The researchers caution that more study is needed, and that tea drinkers as a group may make healthier lifestyle choices, which may account for the results.

I’ve also written recently on my science-and-technology blog about a study indicating caffeine may alleviate some forms of liver damage. This is all interesting from a scientific point of view, but we shouldn’t take this as license to over-indulge. We’ve all heard stories over the years about favorite “guilt” foods–red wine, chocolate, etc.–with beneficial effects. Many of them can also cause well-known, more harmful effects. As always, discuss matters with your doctor or other medical professional before making any major changes in your diet. Too much of a good thing can be too much, even if it’s nice to know there may be some ancillary benefits.

Essential Tool: Weighted Tape Dispenser

Here’s an essential tool for easing the chore of wrapping presents: a weighted tape dispenser. “But tape comes in a handy little dispenser,” you protest. “Yes, but you can’t use the cheap, light dispensers one handed,” I reply, “especially if you’re like me and you end up holding a bunch of paper flaps together around a lumpish object with one hand and hoping you can slap the tape on before they come flying apart.” Besides, the heavier dispensers are only a few bucks, so add one to your next Amazon order if you need something to bump you up into the free shipping category (or pick one up at your local office-supply megaplex). Don’t forget the tape to go with it.

Dykes on Bikes, Tykes on Trikes: Yikes!

The San Francisco motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes has finally won a trademark for their name, after initial refusals by the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office because of a perception that “dyke” was a derogatory term.

Unfortunately, “Tykes on Trikes” seems to be in use by several non-LGBT organizations that either donate tricycles to kids or manage kids’ sporting events. Otherwise, this would have been a good name for a children-of-lesbian-parents group. How about “Dykes’ Tykes on Trikes” instead? (Surely someone has thought of this before, but it doesn’t seem to be so well known that Google finds it.)

How to Build a Snowperson

If you’re in the Northeast today, and stuck home with kids watching the fluffy stuff come down, you might take a minute to review these instructions on how to build a snow [person].

OK, it’s really not that hard, and most of us don’t need written instructions. I like the tip about spraying the snowperson with water, though, colored or otherwise, to help it hold together. It’s important to start with “packing” snow in the first place, too. The powdery stuff that skiiers love won’t form an adequate ball.

If the snow stops coming down before our son’s naptime, we’re going to try and make two snowwomen and a little snowboy. I’ll blog about it once my hands thaw out.

[Update: Snow was too powdery to form balls. Had to settle for sliding down our hill.]

One Month to The L Word

It’s exactly one month till Season Three of The L Word premieres on Showtime. I’m excited. No, it’s not an entirely realistic or representative depiction of lesbian life– but Desparate Housewives isn’t exactly a realistic portrayal of straight life, either. Besides, I have a real lesbian life already. I want my fiction to be fictional.

Grilled Cheese Bags

If your kids love grilled cheese as much as mine does, you may be interested in the Toastabags from CHEF’s Catalog. Pop a cold cheese sandwich into these woven fiberglass bags, and slip the whole thing into a wide-slot toaster. Voilà! Melted cheese in minutes, and a clean toaster. At least that’s the claim–haven’t tried them myself yet. (Thanks to Boing Boing for the sighting.)

Ford Pulls Most LGBT Ads; Rumored Link to AFA

Nineteen LGBT-rights organizations have released a joint statement expressing their concern over reports that Ford is pulling most of its LGBT-targeted advertising because of pressure from the extreme-right-wing American Family Association. Ford claims the move was made for business reasons, and although they are no longer advertising their Jaguar and Land Rover brands in LGBT media, they will continue to advertise Volvos there. Regardless of Ford’s intentions, however, the AFA is claiming victory.

While this is still a developing story, and I don’t want to urge a premature boycott, it does strike me as strange that Ford is pulling their two British-rooted brands from LGBT media the same week that Britain’s Civil Partnership Act comes into force.

If nothing else, this incident should remind us that buying power matters. The HRC has thoughtfully released the Human Rights Campaign’s Buyer’s Guide this week, with data on which companies support equality, and which don’t. It’s worth a look before you do your holiday shopping.

Possible Risk of Bacterial Contamination Through ICSI

Spanish scientists last week reported research findings that indicate a risk of bacterial contamination during the common in-vitro fertilization procedure of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where the doctor injects sperm directly into the egg. The research was conducted on mice, not humans, however, and other scientists are saying they don’t believe there is any health risk to humans born through ICSI. Sounds like something you might ask your doctor about next time you visit, if you’ve gone through or are considering this procedure, but nothing that should cause a panic.

Oklahoma: Not OK

The ever-diligent attorneys at Lambda Legal have filed papers with a United States District Court in Oklahoma, hoping to strike down the state’s “Adoption Invalidation Law.” The law says that Oklahoma “shall not recognize an adoption by more than one individual of the same sex from any other state or foreign jurisdiction.”

This means that if a same-sex couple adopts a child legally in another state, but moves to Oklahoma, one or both of the parents will not be recogized there. Merely traveling to Oklahoma? If the child has an unfortunate accident, one or more of the parents might not be allowed to visit in the hospital. If the child was adopted by both parents, this could mean that the child is considered a legal orphan, and neither parent would have the right to make medical decisions. It’s unclear what the state would do in the increasing number of cases from New Jersey, where both lesbian parents were recognized as parents before the child’s birth, and both names put on the child’s birth certificate without an adoption being necessary.

This law is so completely unconstitutional (not to mention unethical) I find it hard to believe it passed, even in a conservative state under a conservative federal government. Why is it better for a child to be declared a legal orphan, or to be deprived of the care of one parent, than to be under the protection of two adults who care for her/him and have gone to some lengths (in another state) to legalize their parental responsibilities? Lambda Legal claims the law violates the Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection, due process and right to travel, as well as the Full Faith and Credit Clause. Let’s hope they’re heard.