Archives › 2007 › January
Gay Dads on Oprah
Mark your calendars and set your Tivos. The Family Pride Coalition has announced that two of their members, dads Mark and Andy Sutherland-Travino, along with their children and great niece, will be on the Oprah Winfrey Show on January 29, “the show’s first positive portrayal of a gay family!” Family Pride says: We are absolutely [...]
Mombian in Bay Windows
Not only am I excited about my family’s pending move to Massachusetts, but I’m pleased to announce that starting this week, I’ll be writing a bi-weekly Mombian column for Bay Windows, New England’s largest LGBT newspaper. I’ll cover the same mix of parenting, politics and diversions as I do here, but with more of an [...]
Book Recommendations: Two for Groundhog Day, and One Extra
I’ve always been fond of Groundhog Day. Maybe because it’s an underdog (-hog?) of a U. S. holiday, its February 2nd date following the noble Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and preceding the excessively commercial Valentine’s Day. It also seems to hearken back to a time when people paid more attention to natural signs (right [...]
The L Word Season Four, Episode Two: The Parenting Perspective
(Warning: spoilers below.) The second episode of this season’s L Word has little about parenting on the surface, but there’s more than meets the eye. The show’s lesbian moms, Tina and Bette, seem to have settled in to a custody agreement. In one scene at the Planet, Tina bemoans having to share, but agrees with [...]
Study Looking for Lesbian Parents Who Have Sought Children’s Donor Half Siblings
Passing along another third-party announcement from my inbox: I am the lesbian mother of 4-year-old twins who were conceived using anonymous donor sperm. I am also a graduate student at Smith College School for Social Work writing my Master’s Thesis on lesbian parents who have used anonymous donor sperm to create families, and their experiences [...]
Call for Papers on Motherhood and Blogging
I was asked to pass along the following announcement: Demeter Press is seeking submissions for the edited collection: Mothering and Blogging: Practice and Theory Deadline for Abstracts: March 1, 2007 Publication Date: Spring 2008 Editors: May Friedman, Shana L. Calixte Critical mothering and writing about motherhood have, in the last few years, begun to engage [...]
Cord-Blood Banking for Personal Use Not Recommended Without Sibling Need
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released a policy statement about the increasingly common practice of cord-blood banking, storing blood from a newborn’s umbilical cord in case of a future need for stem cells. The AAP does not recommend banking an infant’s cord-blood for future personal use unless there is a sibling with a [...]
Kids’ Toys from the Hardware Store: Carpenter’s Ruler
The second item in my series on Kids’ Toys from the Hardware Store requires no assembly. It’s simply a carpenter’s ruler—a ruler that not only measures, but folds into a variety of shapes certain to amuse and delight. My dad bought me one when I was young, and I had hours of fun with it. [...]
Iron Chef Mommy
I was watching Iron Chef America the other night. Chef (and out lesbian mom) Cat Cora was cooking a dozen different things with ostrich, the episode’s “secret ingredient.” I have to admit, I love Iron Chef. The exaggerated, sports-style commentary, the kitsch . . . it’s entertainment at its best, with a few real cooking [...]
A Quote for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Today I want to pass along a quote from Coretta Scott King, wife of slain civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Mrs. King was speaking at Lambda Legal’s 25th Anniversary Luncheon in 1998: As Martin once said, ‘We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny… an inescapable network of mutuality… I can [...]
Today Show Hosts Author of Single by Chance, Mothers by Choice
Last fall, I reviewed the excellent new book Single by Chance, Mothers by Choice: How Women are Choosing Parenthood without Marriage and Creating the New American Family by sociologist Rosanna Hertz. Dr. Hertz will be on the Today show tomorrow, January 15, between 8 and 8:30 a.m. Eastern. If you are interested in how the [...]
Would You Adopt Your Partner to Secure Her Rights?
A rare legal case in Maine is shedding an interesting light on questions of same-sex relationship recognition. Olive F. Watson had legally adopted her partner, Patricia A. Spado, in 1991, in order to ensure her financial security. Watson is daughter of former IBM CEO Thomas J. Watson, Jr., and granddaughter of the company’s founder, Thomas [...]
Weekly Political Roundup
In 2008, Arizona voters could be deciding for the second time on a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. Voters rejected a ban last November, the only defeat for such a measure in the country. The new ban would eliminate any mention of benefits for domestic partners or unmarried couples, in an attempt by conservatives to [...]
Children’s Books About Martin Luther King, Jr.
This coming Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in the U. S. His work and the movement he led represent values that resonate with many of us, regardless of race. I thought it would be appropriate to honor the holiday by showcasing a number of books for young children about Dr. King. What [...]
British Military Reaches Out to LGBT Servicemembers
This week, both the U. S.’s Human Rights Campaign and Britain’s Stonewall announced their latest lists of “Best Places to Work” for LGBT employees and allies. In the U. K., IBM holds the top spot. No surprise, given the company’s consistently good rating in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index—and remember the “I” stands for “International.” (HRC’s [...]
Goodbye, Dr. Weaver
Tonight was the last episode for ER’s lesbian mom, Dr. Kerry Weaver, played by Laura Innes. Innes is leaving after twelve years on the show, the longest run for any main character. Weaver was, to my knowledge, only one of three lesbian moms in a regular television series, the other two being the (in)famous Bette [...]
Interview with Jennifer Chrisler of the Family Pride Coalition
Mombian’s interview series continues, this time with Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director of the Family Pride Coalition. Jennifer is also the mother of twin four-year-old boys. (She either sleeps very well or not at all.) Prior to her role at Family Pride, she was a fundraising consultant for political campaigns and LGBT organizations and served as [...]
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
I recently hosted the Carnival of Bent Attractions, an LGBT blogging event organized by Maria at Daily Dose of Queer. Because she’s clearly a woman who knows how to manage her time, Maria is also organizing the new Carnival of Shoe and Bags. At first, I dismissed this as something of little interest. Since I’ve [...]
Corporate Political Donations, LGBT Friendliness, and Our Consumer Choices
Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay, has been helping former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney raise money for his presidential bid. (Queerty pointed me to the original New York Times article.) Romney, as many of you know, is actively opposed to same-sex marriage. Last October, he even spoke at a rally of the virulently homophobic Family Research [...]
New CareSquare Social Network Connects Parents and Caregivers
New lesbian social networks like OurChart and Olivia.com are getting lots of publicity these days. More useful for us moms, however, may be a new community network for parents and caregivers of all orientations, CareSquare. Through the site, parents can find babysitters and nannys whom their friends recommend, then check availability and book services through [...]
Kids’ Toys from the Hardware Store: PVC Pipe Construction Set
Dykes and hardware stores seem to go together like, well, dykes and softball.* I therefore thought I’d start a new weekly series for us lesbian moms on kids’ toys you can buy or make based on simple items from the hardware store. (*Yes, I know I’m overgeneralizing. Personally, I’m not at all fond of softball [...]
Carnival of Bent Attractions
It’s time for the January Carnival of Bent Attractions! This month’s posts ranged from personal to political, sobering to sarcastic. They introduce us to others in the community and ask us to look at ourselves. I’ve included a few posts that weren’t technically submitted to the Carnival, but which I (or Maria, the Carnival’s Über-mistress) [...]
LGBT Rights: The Destination and the Journey
Lawmakers in Arkansas will decide in the state’s next legislative session whether to enact a law banning same-sex couples from becoming foster parents. (Last year, the state Supreme Court said that under existing law, the state could not forbid same-sex couples from consideration as foster parents.) A spokesperson for the Arkansas ACLU has spoken against [...]
Watch The L Word Season Four Premiere Online
If you missed tonight’s season premiere of The L Word, you can view it on the Showtime L Word Web site. This seems like a limited-time freebie to entice you to get Showtime. Up to you if you’re vulnerable to that sort of marketing. Note, however, that the “exclusive designer top” you get with your [...]
Mac-and-Cheese Off
There must be something in the air. After posting about ramen noodles last night, I was delighted to discover that Kalyn at BlogHer had posted about my other grad-school and motherhood go-to food, macaroni and cheese. Food bloggers Cookiecrumb and Kevin hosted the “Only Annual Mac-and-Cheese Off” last Friday. Follow the comments on their posts [...]
