Hilton Advertises to G Part of LGBT Market

Hilton Hotels last week announced a new ad campaign targeting “the GLBT community.” The ads, to be run in major GLBT publications, have the tag line, “Come as you are . . . fabulous.”

Hmm. Last I checked, “fabulous” was a word most often used to describe the gay male community. (Not that lesbians, bisexual, or transgender people can’t be fabulous—but we don’t usually use the adjective in quite the same way.)

It seems a step in the right direction that Hilton is advertising to some part of the LGBT community. Let’s hope they don’t forget, however, that L, G, B, and T are another example of e pluribus unum, and that each of the many has its own character, despite our common cause.

Yes, the ongoing inequality of pay between the genders means gay male couples have higher average incomes than lesbian ones, and are thus more attractive to advertisers. Still, the lesbian market is not insignificant, as high-end jeweler Cartier knows. They ran an ad in Vanity Fair featuring Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels sharing a romantic moment.

On a less costly note, I’m surprised no “feminine product” companies have targeted the lesbian market. Heaven knows, lesbian couples buy twice as much as any straight ones. (I can see it now: “Fempax Tampons. Protects your softball whites better than any other brand.”)

(Thanks to the Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrief for the heads-up.)

HRC Posts New Video Resources for LGBT Parents

In early June, the Human Rights Campaign held a town hall in Washington, D.C., for LGBT people considering parenthood. They have posted videos of the panelists’ speeches and the question-and- answer session. Topics included legal and financial issues as well as the emotional aspects of becoming parents. There are aksi downloadable PDF files with additional resources on adoption, assisted reproduction, organizations that advocate for LGBT parents, and more. Some have a D.C.-area focus, but others are more general.

New Study Says Most Breast Cancer Treatments Safe During Pregnancy

A new study indicates that most breast cancer treatments are safe during pregnancy, Blogging Baby reports. If true, this could mean fewer instances of the terrible choice between the life of the mother and the life of the baby.

The researchers warn, however, that women should still not undergo radiation therapy while pregnant. They also caution that while women can receive chemotherapy during pregnancy, it should be done well in advance of delivery, so that blood counts are not low at that time. Finally, doctors say that newer, highly-targeted cancer therapies are probably not appropriate for pregnant patients.

Both pregnancy and cancer can wrack the body, though for critically different reasons. I can’t imagine having to deal with both at the same time. For the 3000 or so women in the U. S. who are forced to each year, however, these new findings offer hope.

Great American Backyard Campout

Tomorrow, June 24, is the Great American Backyard Campout (GABC). It’s sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) as a way of getting kids to experience the wonders of nature and for families to share the outdoors together.

I think this is a terrific idea. While my personal idea of camping is setting out with a bandana, a pocketknife, and a water bottle, there’s no reason it has to be that rough with the kids. Simply pop up the tent in your backyard, bring along some flashlights, a star chart, and a bag of granola bars, and try to remember your favorite campfire songs. The GABC site has packing lists, recipes, a nocturnal wildlife guide, and nighttime photography tips.

Here’s my own tip, from my days as an astronomy student: cover one flashlight with red cellophane (or buy one with a red insert), and use this when you’re stargazing. This will preserve your night vision so you can go quickly from chart to sky and back again. (Find good star charts on the Sky and Telescope site, among others.)

To preserve your kids’ excitement about nature even after you roll up your sleeping bags, consider subscribing to one of the NWF’s three great magazines for children ages one and up. My son’s a longtime fan.

Weekly Political Roundup

A relatively slow week for pure political news, though the decisions by the Episcopalian and Presbyterian churches have political dimensions.

• The Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military discovered a Pentagon document of retirement and discharge policies that classifies homosexuality with mental disorders, despite mental health experts abandoning that view decades ago. A Pentagon spokesperson says the policy is “under review.”
• In Pennsylvania, the state Senate approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, but left provision for civil unions and other “functional equivalents” of marriage. The state House had earlier passed a ban, but without the civil union provision. Because the Senate and House bills differ, they must decide on common language before leaving for the summer, or they will miss the deadline for a ballot question in either ‘07 or ‘08. Without voter approval of a ballot, the constitution cannot be amended. The Philadelphia Daily News has a good explanation of the procedural details, and why the current situation means the bill is likely dead.

And three upcoming rulings:

• The Georgia Supreme Court will rule within days on the legality of the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
• In Massachusetts, the Suffolk Superior Court will rule Monday on whether same-sex couples from New York and Rhode Island can marry in Massachusetts. An earlier decision by the state Supreme Judicial Court said the state could use a 1913 law to ban same-sex couples from marrying in Massachusetts if same-sex marriage is illegal in their home states. The court left open the status of couples from New York and Rhode Island, saying the Superior Court needed to rule on it.
• In New York itself, the state’s highest court is expected to rule on same-sex marriage before its July 1 recess.

Amazon Bargains

I don’t usually do such materialistic posts, but Amazon.com has a few sales going on right now that may be of interest. (My mom’s an inveterate bargain hunter; you can blame it on her.)

• Eligible books are 4-for-3 (lowest price one is free), including children’s books from Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, and others, as well as the entire Harry Potter series. Myself, I’m stocking up on some mysteries for summer reading. Eligible music is also 4-for-3.
• Select toys are up to 75% off, which might be useful if your children or their friends have birthdays in the near future. You can also browse by price, which could be handy if you want a few cheap items to take along on summer vacations.
• Power tools and lawn and garden products are 10% off through July 4 (with some restrictions; see link).
• You can also take $25 purchases of $125 or more of kitchen & housewares and bed & bath products through June 30 (again, with some restrictions).

If I Can’t Laugh, I Don’t Want to Be Part of Your Revolution

I got a laugh out of this tongue-in-cheek article by Reg Henry on banning same-sex marriage. An extract:

The nuclear family is called nuclear because it is apt to detonate from time to time and when that happens everything is radioactive for a while. But, really, what is a bit of creative sulking, bickering and general name-calling between married heterosexuals? . . .

It’s all threatened, of course. Gay people now want to get married to share in this perfect lifestyle. Obviously, the sanctity would drain out of marriage like a car tire with a leak. Numerous serially married celebrities have not destroyed marriage, but gays could do it because they are known to have more flair than the rest of us.

My stance on equal rights is a moral one, but I’m also glad I’m on the side with a sense of humor.

San Diego Expected to Select Lesbian Fire Chief

Fire trucks are one of my son’s current obsessions. He has an entire fire company’s worth of vehicles in his playroom. He’s visited fire houses and fire museums, and managed to collect three different Junior Firefighter badges and five hats. He and his teddy bear “rescue” me on a regular basis.

It was thus with special joy, as the lesbian mom of a Junior Firefighter, that I read today of the expected selection of an openly lesbian fire chief in San Diego. Tracy Jarman, a 22-year veteran of the department, was nominated this week by Mayor Jerry Sanders. Confirmation is expected at next Monday’s City Council meeting. Chief Joanne Hayes-White of San Francisco would be the only woman in the U. S. running a larger department.

If you have daughters who are into firefighting, or want to expose your kids to the idea of non-traditional careers for women, check out the Women in the Fire Service (WFS) Web site. In addition to news and job listings for actual firefighters, the site offers a history of women in firefighting and details on becoming a firefighter that are sure to be useful for school reports. If you have older teen girls, check out WFS’s special Camp Blaze project, a summer camp for qualified 16 to 19-year-old girls to learn about the fire service and have fun. Who knows? You could be raising the next Tracy Jarman or Joanne Hayes-White.

Happy Birthday, Mombian!

A year ago today, I wrote my first post for Mombian. I’m pleased that the vision I had for the site back then seems to have been a worthy one. My goal was to create a blog of useful news and resources for lesbian moms—as lesbians and as moms. I drew on my own experience as the lesbian mother of a toddler, but wanted the site to be less about my family per se, and more about broad issues and topics of interest. Readership has grown steadily, and feedback seems generally positive, which indicates I’m doing something right.

I’m happy, too, that Mombian has caught the attention of some non-lesbian-specific parenting sites. Moxie, a very useful parenting site itself, just called it a “daily must-read” <blush>. I hope Mombian can continue to help us make connections beyond our community even as it offers resources and support for those of us within it.

Thanks to all of you who have read Mombian, left comments, or participated in Blogging for LGBT Families Day. I’m hoping I can keep offering items of interest over the next year, and that you’ll come back to visit often. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Presbyterians Allow Local Churches to Decide on LGBT Clergy

Following the Episcopalians’ decision to permit LGBT bishops, the Presbyterian Church U. S. A. approved a measure allowing local churches to decide on the fitness of an individual to be ordained or serve as a lay official, even if the issue of sexual orientation arises. The measure does not, however, revoke a church law that says clergy, lay elders and deacons must limit sexual relations to marriage.

This is a move in the right direction, though the Presbyterians are clearly trying to placate several factions at once. I wonder, though, at the older law limiting the sexual relations of clergy to marriage. It would now seem to approve the sexual relations of gay and lesbian clergy married in Massachusetts, but not if they live elsewhere. Do they then break church law if they move outside the state? What if a gay American minister is married in Canada? Does that count? God works in mysterious ways. This appears to be one of them.

In this context, it’s worth reading the recent proposal from radical theological thinktank Ekklesia that:

. . . the legal and ceremonial aspects of forming partnerships should be considered distinct, and the differences between religious and civil definitions of marriage openly acknowledged by all concerned.

In this way, individuals who want to enter into marriage as a religious commitment within Christian and other contexts would be free to do so. But registering their partnership under law would be a separate process allowing different arrangements depending upon their intent – and including provisions for the protection of children. . . .

It would also separate arguments within religious communities about gay marriage and cohabitation from the state’s provision of legal contracts for relationships, and would make space for both faith-based and secular understandings – without privileging or constraining either.

It’s a compelling argument for the separation of church and state from a religious perspective, and an important contribution to the current marriage debate.