Archives › 2007 › April
Supreme Court Declines to Rule in Lesbian-Custody Case
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected without comment an appeal by Lisa Miller-Jenkins, a biological mother who has been trying to deny visitation rights to her former partner Janet Miller-Jenkins. (Thanks, PageOneQ.) The case has bounced between the jurisdictions of Vermont and Virginia. Lisa Miller-Jenkins was attempting to appeal a Vermont Supreme Court ruling that the [...]
Ellen, Ten Years On
Today marks the tenth anniversary of “The Puppy Episode,” aka “The coming Out Episode” on Ellen, the comedian’s eponymous first television sitcom. GLAAD has a lengthy press release discussing the significance of the show. It was a turning point in depictions of LGBT people on television, and an empowering moment in many of our personal [...]
A Walk Through the Education Sections
A bevy of interesting articles in the past few days: The Christian Science Monitor examines proposed changes to the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). As lawmakers debate its reauthorization, they are considering whether the evaluation of schools should emphasize progress, rather than merely achieving certain goals. Across the pond, educators in the U.K. [...]
Book Recommendation: Carrot Soup
I enjoy finding seasonal books for my son, and was pleased to stumble upon John Segal’s Carrot Soup. In it, Rabbit spends many hours planning and cultivating his carrot garden, only to find that the carrots have vanished right before the harvest. He asks his friends Mole, Dog, Cat, and others if they have seen [...]
Weekly Political Roundup
Lots of good news this week: The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which includes protections crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and sent it to the floor of the House. An Indiana high school teacher who risked her job supporting a student-newspaper editorial [...]
Family Leave Bill Only Good for Legal Families
Two recent pieces of legislation in Washington State show once again the interconnectedness between family rights and LGBT rights, a topic I have covered before. Governor Christine Gregoire last weekend signed domestic-partner legislation that will allow same-sex couples to receive a variety of rights over inheritance, hospital visitation, and medical decisions. The Washington State Senate [...]
Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
Today is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, “designed to expand opportunities for girls and boys, expose them to what adults in their lives do during the work day, show them the value of their education, and give them an opportunity to share how they envision their future.” I find it telling, however, [...]
How to Welcome an LGBT Family
My son and I went to his first Music Together class in our new area today. We’d done Music Together for over two years before we moved, and I knew it was a program I wanted to continue. Not only did we have a fabulous teacher back in New York, but I liked the pedagogy [...]
No Excuses for Homophobia
Most readers of this blog can reel off any number of reasons why same-sex couples should have the same legal rights, protections, and responsibilities as opposite-sex ones. It’s still gratifying, however, to see someone put together the arguments in a pithy, witty, no-holds-barred article in the mainstream press. Hop on over to New Hampshire’s Manchester [...]
ENDA and Our Families
If you’ve read any LGBT news sites today, you know we’ve moved one step closer to an important protection for LGBT Americans. Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA), Deborah Pryce (R-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Chris Shays (R-CT) introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which makes it illegal to base hiring, firing, promotion, or pay decisions on someone’s [...]
Kids’ Toys from the Hardware Store: Paint Roller
Every young child I know loves to smear things on walls, whether food, paint, or merely dirty hands. Channel that impulse with a three- or four-inch paint roller. It’s not for children who like to bludgeon with such objects, but for others, it can provide a surprising amount of amusement, indoors and out. “Paint the [...]
Shakespeare and Lesbianism
While we’re on the subject of April observances, I’ll note that today is the traditional (though perhaps incorrect) celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday. In honor of the Bard, therefore, yet in keeping with the theme of this site, I give you two quotes. The first is from his gender-mix-up comedy Twelfth Night. Viola, disguised as a [...]
April Observances
April seems to have more than its fair share of awareness-raising observances. I’ve already written about National Poetry Month, the Day of Silence, Global Youth Service Day, and Earth Day. Coming up, we have: April 22-28: the Week of the Young Child, “an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young [...]
Earth-Friendly Parenting
Earth Day 2007 is tomorrow, so I thought I’d start a thread on things we do as parents to protect the environment and save energy. From carpooling to soccer practice to favoring toys with minimal packaging, how do you take care of our planet? How do you teach your children to do so? Where do [...]
Weekly Political Roundup
The Colorado State Senate voted to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. The measure must pass one more Senate vote before going to the House. One of the motivating factors in the Connecticut Judiciary Committee’s passage of a bill in support of full marriage rights for same-sex couples (see last week’s update) was the [...]
Want Kids to Eat Vegetables? Plant a Garden
Preschoolers are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables when the produce comes from their own garden rather than a supermarket, concludes a study by researchers at Saint Louis University. More specifically, preschool children from rural southeast Missouri were more than twice as likely to eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per [...]
Welcome, GeekDad Visitors
A big Mombian welcome to the GeekDad visitors stopping by via Asha’s post about my PVC Pipe Construction Set. For the straight dads suddenly wondering what you’re doing on a blog about lesbian moms, I’ll note that part of my purpose is to show that many parenting topics cut across all genders and sexual orientations. [...]
Book Review: Waiting for the Call: From Preacher’s Daughter to Lesbian Mom
Originally published in Bay Windows, April 19, 2007. When I first read the title of Waiting for the Call: From Preacher’s Daughter to Lesbian Mom, I expected the tale of a woman rejecting her religious upbringing and denouncing her parents as she came out. Jacqueline Taylor’s memoir is thankfully not as simple as that. It [...]
Friday Is Global Youth Service Day
Today is the Day of Silence, a time when students bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools. Friday, however, marks the start of Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), in actuality a three-day event that “highlights the amazing contributions youth make to their communities through year-round volunteering.” According to the GYSD Web site, [...]
In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, the American Association of Pediatrics has compiled a list of resources to help children cope with this and other disasters. In addition, they include more general information on violence prevention, school safety, and promoting mental health. ParentDish also has links to a few other resources to help [...]
A Strong Marriage Helps Parents Cope
A new study has found that “couples who showed a good marital relationship before the birth [of their child] seemed to do better when dealing with a fussy and uncooperative baby when compared to those couples whose relationship was not as good.” This seems pretty obvious to me, but according to the lead researcher, there [...]
Day of Silence
Tomorrow is the 11th annual Day of Silence, an event held to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools. Hundreds of thousands of students will remain silent all day in observance of the occasion. Some will pass out “speaking cards” that read: Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am [...]
Tragedy and Hope
This afternoon, my son and I were watching a free Sesame Street short from iTunes called “Happy, Healthy, Ready for School.” In it, Elmo prepares for his first day of preschool in his typically upbeat manner—just the kind of tone I want to set for my son, who will start school himself this fall. I [...]
Save the Date: Blogging for LGBT Families Day 2007 is June 1
You are cordially invited to participate in the second annual Blogging for LGBT Families Day on June 1. I’m especially pleased to announce that the Family Pride Coalition will be sponsoring this year’s event and working in conjunction with us to get the word out and raise visibility for our families. Last year, over 130 [...]
Weekly Political Update
Legislators renamed a federal hate-crimes bill after Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard, slain in 1998 because he was gay. Supporters feel that adding a name and a face to the bill, which adds protections for hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity, will help its chances for success. (Thanks, PageOneQ.) The Associated Press [...]
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