Archives › 2006 › October
Conservatism, Apathy, and Other Scary Things
Today is Halloween, but it’s also one week before the U. S. elections. I thought it was appropriate, therefore, to write about a few things that scare me. Less than 40 percent of those eligible have voted in midterm elections during the past 20 years. I’m scared Democratic voters will see Republicans reeling from the Mark [...]
National Novel Writing Month
A trashy lesbian romance? A dark allegory about modern life? A young-adult mystery? If you think you have it in you, give it a try during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), in which participants attempt to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel between November 1 and November 30. The object is not necessarily to produce a [...]
The Cost of College: Cheaper for the Rich?
“For the wealthy with lots of financial assets, college costs less than it used to. For those who depend on their jobs for income, the opposite is true.” That’s the conclusion of the College Board, a research firm, as reported in Saturday’s New York Times. When expressed as weeks of pay needed to finance four [...]
The Cash Value of Legal Unions
The New York Times has an article today on the financial impact of the New Jersey same-sex union/marriage ruling to couples in the state. (Registration required.) Featured in the article are partners Cynthia and Lucy Vandenberg, who ennumerate the thousands they have spent to secure rights and benefits that married couples rarely have to pay [...]
Job Searches for Lesbian Moms and Other Niche Groups
The headline on Tech Crunch caught my eye this morning: “Simply Hired, Now for Senior Gay Mothers Who Love Dogs & the Environment.” The post was about job search engine Simply Hired, which offers specialty searches of gay-friendly companies, mom-friendly companies, eco-friendly companies, and even dog-friendly companies. Now they also offer a search for senior-friendly [...]
Weekly Political Roundup
The New Jersey marriage decision dominated the political news this week. Time didn’t stand still elsewhere, however: The Human Rights Campaign has fired a “junior” staff member after that person admitted to the first—and unauthorized—Web publication of sexual e-mails sent by then-Congressman Mark Foley to former House pages. Polls in Arizona and Virginia show opposition [...]
Welcome, Queercents Readers
Welcome to those of you visiting today from Queercents, and thanks to Nina Smith for asking me to participate in her “Ten Money Questions” feature. Finances and parenting are intertwined, no matter how much we wish they weren’t, and this goes double for LGBT families. I hope those of you visiting for the first time [...]
Quotes about Motherhood in Honor of LGBT History Month, IV
Audre Lorde is the next author in my series of quotes about motherhood in honor of LGBT History Month. Again, these quotes are meant to represent a wide variety of views. I hope they spark a bit of interest in reading some of the lesbian authors of our past. I see the nurturing principle as [...]
Travel Guide: San Francisco Bay Area
As promised, here’s a thread for our next travel guide installment. This week’s location of choice is the San Francisco Bay Area. (Boston was last week, and I’ve been writing about New Jersey for two days, so it’s time to switch coasts.) If you live in the Bay Area or have visited, please leave comments [...]
Marriage and Semantics: More on the New Jersey Decision
I’m left with very mixed feelings about the New Jersey marriage ruling. On the one hand, the ruling means definite progress and protections for same-sex couples in New Jersey. As Pam of Pam’s House Blend writes: The judges in this case may have split hairs over the word “marriage,” but in doing so provide a [...]
New Jersey Supreme Court Says Same-Sex Relationships Must Be Recognized; Name Is Left to Legislature
Breaking News: The New Jersey Supreme Court has just ruled that same-sex couples must be given the same relationship recognition as opposite-sex couples. They dodged the issue of “marriage,” however, ruling that it is up to the state legislature to determine what to call the relationships: Denying committed same-sex couples the financial and social benefits [...]
Going into the Closet
The first in what will hopefully be a short-lived series on our house selling and buying experience: Tip #1 for keeping a house clean for buyers yet tolerable for pre-schoolers: Buckets. Lots of buckets. I favor the 35-pound cat-litter pails from our local warehouse store. (In truth, I’d been saving the empties for a while [...]
New Jersey Marriage Decision at 3:00 p.m. Tomorrow
The New Jersey Supreme Court says it expects to release a decision on Mark Lewis, et al. v. Gwendolyn L. Harris, et al., aka the same-sex marriage case, tomorrow, October 25th, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Regardless of the outcome, Garden State Equality will hold a statewide rally for marriage equality Wednesday night at 7:00 pm, [...]
New Jersey Marriage Decision: Will They or Won’t They?
The New York Times has a lengthy article on the maybe-soon, maybe-not New Jersey same-sex marriage decision. (Registration required for NYT site.) For long, many have said the ruling will come before Chief Justice Deborah T. Poritz’s retirement on October 25. Now, some say it may come after the State Senate’s scheduled vote to confirm [...]
Family Pride Launches New Web Site
The Family Pride Coalition has launched a new (and long overdue) Web site, and it’s a vast improvement over the previous version. The design is clearer and more attractive, and it’s easier to navigate to what one wants. The new site includes: A handy calendar of upcoming events; A photo gallery of LGBT families (submissions [...]
Androgynous Bristle Blocks
Is it just me, or does the supposed “father” in this pair of Bristle Blocks figures look androgynous enough to make this a lesbian couple? Most toys that include family figures include opposite-sex parents. It’s nice to find one that, however unintentionally, works for my family. (OK, I don’t think either of us would ever [...]
IVF Pioneer Dies
I’d never heard of Mason Andrews before reading of his death this past week, but without him, my son might not exist. No, he’s not our sperm donor—he’s the doctor who performed the first in vitro fertilization in the U. S. Although conservative activists tried to stop him from attempting the procedure, his privately funded [...]
Workout Picked Up for Second Season
The Internet is awash with lesbian celebrity news right now. AfterEllen.com reports that Bravo has picked up a second season of Workout, starring lesbian fitness trainer Jackie Warner. Filming starts in November; no word yet on when it will air. Because it’s the weekend, here’s a fun and frivolous question to comment on: If you [...]
Melissa and Tammy Have Twins
Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels have announced the birth of their twins, son Miller Steven and daughter Johnnie Rose. Tammy gave birth to them last Tuesday, and according to Melissa’s Web site, both she and the babies are in excellent health. The couple also issued the statement: “The creation of life brings about immeasurable [...]
Weekly Political Roundup
The Colorado Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling and said the partner of a man who died in 2004 may inherit his estate, even though the man’s relatives contested the validity of his will. Lambda Legal argued that the U. S. Court of Appeals should affirm a lower court ruling that Oklahoma’s anti-gay [...]
Travel Guides
A big thanks to all of you who left comments about places to visit in and around Boston. I’m looking forward to exploring your suggestions (in between eating copious quantities of clam chowder). This got me thinking, too: Since you were so helpful and willing to share, I’d like to see if we could create [...]
Mombian’s Moving
Big news from Mombian HQ today: My partner has accepted a new job, so sometime in the next few months we’ll be moving from the lovely Hudson Valley to the equally lovely Boston area. I lived there in college, and am excited about going back, although it will be very different this time with family [...]
Sleepless Moms
It’s official. Motherhood makes you tired. A new nationwide survey found that 52 percent of moms in the U. S. feel more sleep would make them better parents and 65 percent feel they would be happier. The survey was released today to coincide with the launch of a “Sleepless Moms” campaign, headed by actress and [...]
Happy Birthday, Martina!
It’s Martina Navratilova’s 50th birthday today, which makes it a lesbian holiday of sorts. The tennis legend is retiring from competition this year, saying she wants to spend more time at home, promoting her new book, and “devoting more time to her partner, her animals and her fundraising work on behalf of gay and lesbian [...]
Halloween Safety Tips
It’s the beginning of the extended dance mix that is Halloween—the assorted parades, parties, and costume contests all leading up to the big night. I thought I was going to get away easy this year, since my son told me in early September he wanted to be “a spooky ghost.” I could handle a sheet [...]
1 of 2
