Tomorrow Is Blogging for LGBT Families Day

Tomorrow is Blogging for LGBT Families Day. I’m very excited by the response. Thanks to all of you who have already indicated that you’ll join us, and who have promoted the event on your blogs. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late. To participate, just write a relevant post, then link, comment or e-mail to let me know. (Details here.) Read the rest of this post »

Universal Preschool Gains Momentum

More states around the country are boosting funding for preschool programs, Stateline.org reports. California and Illinois are even considering universal preschool, following the footsteps of Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma. At first glance, this seems like a good thing. Others, including California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, say the money would be better targeted at “high-risk” preschoolers or spent improving K-12 education.

Without knowing the tradeoffs for each state, and the exact way the money will be spent (teacher salaries, facilities, etc.) it’s hard to say categorically whether such proposals are good or bad. In general, I tend to believe more money spent on education is a good thing. I’ll caution, though, that we shouldn’t simply throw money at a problem without also having a strategy for using it wisely. Stateline.org’s article is a good overview of the current state of affairs, with links to other sites for and against additional preschool funds. Worth reading if this is of interest to you.

Same-Sex Marriage Could Be Legal in New York City Tomorrow

The New York State Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, will hear the appeals of four plaintiffs tomorrow in the case that could make same-sex marriage legal in New York City. The Court will broadcast the proceedings live from their Web site starting at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Lawyers for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will argue the case against same-sex marriage. Paradoxically, Mayor Bloomberg reiterated his support for same-sex marriage yesterday. He claims he filed his contradictory appeal because he was required to on the basis of current law. In his weekly radio address yesterday, he elaborated: Read the rest of this post »

Barbecue Safety

Whether you prefer tenderloin or tofu, Memorial Day represents the official start of grilling season here in the U. S. (I’ve been known to stomp out to the grill in six inches of snow when the mood strikes, but that’s an exception.) This seems as good a time as any to suggest that people review these Barbecue Safety tips from the New York Fire Department.

Many are common sense: Don’t let kids play near the grill. Never try to start a charcoal grill with any flammable liquid other than barbecue starter fluid.

How many of us, though, check our gas-grill hoses every year for cracks? Or clean out the tubes leading into the burner? The NYPD also has the good idea of using chalk to draw a safety zone around the grill and instructing children to stay outside the line. This doesn’t replace parental supervision, of course, but it’s a good visual deterrent.

Visit the NYFD site for even more tips, some specific to different types of grills.

For Memorial Day

It’s Memorial Day here in the U. S., so I want to take a moment to recognize those who have given their lives in service to this country. This does not mean I always agree with the political policies that put them in harm’s way. Unlike some, I do not believe that is a contradictory position.

I also want to honor the parents, relatives, and friends of those lost. I am a mother, and I cannot imagine the agony of losing a child. I have the utmost respect for all the families whose children have served, and are serving, in the armed forces. You are brave beyond belief. For LGBT people who have lost partners, I hope that someday you gain the recognition and benefits that should be granted to the families of any fallen veteran.

Mostly, though, I wish for peace. That should be our ultimate memorial to future generations.

Storks Embrace Same-Sex Parenting

“Mommy, how was I born?”

“The lesbian stork brought you, dear.”

What greater endorsement could same-sex parenting get than to be approved by storks? Two same-sex stork couples (one male, one female) at Parc Overloon in Holland are raising chicks “just as well as our heterosexual birds,” according to a park spokeswoman.

Women Ski Jumpers Move Closer to Olympic Inclusion

The International Ski Federation (FIS) voted Friday to add a women’s individual ski-jumping event to the 2009 World Championships in the Czech Republic. This is a necessary (but not sufficient) step for including the sport in the Olympics. If women ski jumpers are to compete in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, both the Canadian organizing committee and the International Olympic Committee must still approve the event.

Women’s Ski Jumping USA has more on these high-flying women. Good luck to them in their pursuit of equality for women’s sports.

Parenting Magazine Offers Advice on Talking About Two-Mom Families

The June 2006 issue of Parenting magazine has an article on how to answer kids’ “questions about sex.” One of the questions (clearly aimed at straight parents) is: “Your child tells you her classmate has two mommies. ‘How can that be?’ she asks.”

The core of their answer is: “In Ginny’s family, her two mommies love each other the way that Daddy and I do. So they live together, and both take care of Ginny.” This isn’t a bad response, and Parenting gets points in my book for tackling the issue. A few negatives:

• All of the other questions in the article are about physiology (“Why is my penis getting hard?”) and the mechanics of straight baby-making. By including the two-mommies question in an article about sex, Parenting risks contributing to the myth that all lesbian and gay relationships are focused around sex. Might have been better to include this in an article about relationships (marriage, divorce, dating, etc.) Then again, Parenting’s answer is sex-free, so maybe they’re putting the question where most people would expect it (in an article on sex), but deflecting it to where it belongs (an answer about relationships).
• Parenting still uses the clinical “homosexuality” and “heterosexuality.” Instead of “Homosexuality may seem like a confusing subject,” it might have been better to say “Lesbian and gay relationships may seem . . .” At least they use homo- and heterosexuality equally, and as abstract nouns. (It bothers me more when people use the concrete “homosexuals.”)
• In discussing how to respond if one’s child hears someone say “You’re gay,” in a negative sense, Parenting gives the example of one mom, who explained: “Sometimes boys fall in love with boys and girls fall in love with girls, but that the boy . . . probably didn’t really understand what he was talking about. Then she reminded her daughter that calling people names isn’t nice and might hurt someone’s feelings.” Not a bad answer, but it would benefit from adding that there’s nothing wrong with being gay; it’s just the way some people are. The name-caller was mistaken in thinking this was a bad thing to call someone.

You can contact Parenting magazine through their Web site to thank them for addressing the two-mom question and doing so in a positive manner. If you have criticism like mine, by all means let them know, but try to be constructive. Keep in mind that the conservative right will likely be sending them a few letters denouncing their tolerant approach altogether.

The Importance of Science Education

The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) has released new results on students in science. The news is mixed. The good part is that the gap between whites and non-whites has shrunk since 2000. (The fact that it still exists, is, of course, a problem.) Of concern to some, however, is that eighth-graders showed almost no change from previous scores, and 12th-grade scores were slightly worse than a decade ago.

As another recent study confirms, exposure to science in secondary school is critical to producing scientists. Researchers at the University of Virginia found that eighth-graders who said they wanted to become scientists were two to three times more likely to earn degrees in science or engineering than those who said they wanted non-science careers. The researchers also concluded that while math was important, math skills didn’t take the place of science interest in determining future degree choices.

This brings up the question (about which I’ve written before) of whether President Bush’s No Child Left Behind law is focused on core reading and math skills to the detriment of well-rounded, ultimately more productive education. Bush asserts that science education has to start early, and is a crucial component in our national competitiveness. He had better pay attention to studies like the above if he wants his methods to support his goals.

Those of you looking for fun science experiments to do at home can find some ideas in a post I wrote last fall.

Weekly Political Roundup

• The U. S. Supreme Court refused without comment to hear the custody case of a separated lesbian couple from California. The bio mom is trying to deny second-parent adoption of their younger child to the non-bio mom, although the non-bio mom has adopted the couple’s older child. This is the second lesbian-custody case the Court has refused to hear in as many weeks. Given the current Court, it may be a good thing they’re not ruling on this. I’m not a lawyer, though, so I can’t comment on the long-term effects of their hands-off stance. Anyone?
• $200 million. That’s the amount of money it has cost to recruit and train replacements for the 9,488 troops discharged under the military’s twelve-year-old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. This doesn’t include those who were booted out under the prior “if you’re gay, you’re out” rule. This data comes not from some LGBT think-tank, but rather from the Government Accountability Office. Your tax dollars at work, folks.
• California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he will veto a bill requiring public schools to include LGBT history in their curricula. The bill has passed the state Senate and awaits a vote in the Legislature. Some say Schwarzenegger’s move is pure electioneering, since he rarely comments on bills before they pass the Legislature.
• Same-sex marriage supporters in Denver failed to halt a proposed ballot initiative banning domestic partnerships. They claim the ballot’s wording, which prohibits state recognition of a legal status “similar to that of marriage,” is too vague. Voters might not realize how it could apply even to some opposite-sex relationships. (Things like this could happen.) Same-sex marriage proponents are appealing to the Colorado Supreme Court.
• We won a major victory in Oklahoma, where judges struck down a ruling that would have denied recognition to same-sex adoptive parents even if the adoption was done legally in another state.
• Finally, an international note, contributed by one of my readers: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has warned fellow Conservative MPs not to comment on the marriage next month of two gay Mounties. Opponents see this as part of the Conservative’s long-standing focus on message control. An opposition MP notes, however, that message control could have as easily taken the form of a congratulatory message to these dedicated public servants who are about to marry.