Archives › 2008 › December
Day Without a Gay (Parent)
Today is Day Without a Gay, when Join the Impact organizers are asking LGBT Americans and our allies to “call in gay” to work, refrain from spending money, and instead donate our time in service to our community. As a stay-at-home mom, I can’t call in gay. My son can’t drive himself home from school, [...]
Happy Parenthood, Nina and Jeanine!
Very best wishes to Nina Smith of Queercents and her partner Jeanine, who just became parents of a newborn son named Sam. Nina has blogged openly about the financial and emotional aspects of her journey to parenthood. I am sure she will be equally insightful about the financial aspects of being a parent. (But I’ll [...]
Marriage vs. Civil Unions: The Impact on Children
The New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission has completed its final report. It found that the state’s civil union law “invites and encourages harm to same-sex couples and their children” and cites “overwhelming evidence” the civil union law will never provide equality with the passage of time. The entire 79-page report is quite a read. [...]
What Makes a Great Teacher?
How can one evaluate who will be a great teacher? That’s the question posed by journalist Malcolm Gladwell (author of The Tipping Point) in the current issue of The New Yorker. He says, in part: Eric Hanushek, an economist at Stanford, estimates that the students of a very bad teacher will learn, on average, half [...]
Civil Unions Not Good Enough, Says New Jersey Commission
In the meadow we can build a snowman, Then pretend that he is Parson Brown* He’ll say: Are you married? We’ll say: No man, But you can do the job When you’re in Hoboken or Dubuque
50 Bloggers Walk Into a Room . . .
I spent the weekend, as some of you know, at the National LGBT Blogger and Citizen Journalist Initiative Summit (NLGBTBCJIS?) It was an amazing weekend, the best part of which was meeting many of the bloggers I knew only by name and reputation. The Bilerico gang, including co-owners Bil and Jerame, Pam Spaulding of Pam’s [...]
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Lesbian Mom’s Rights
Good news: The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear the case of “ex-lesbian” mom Lisa Miller, letting stand a ruling that Virginia must enforce a Vermont court order awarding child-visitation rights to Miller’s former civil-union partner Janet Jenkins. This is the same case that Newsweek covered this week as well. Best wishes to six-year-old [...]
LGBT Parenting Roundup
It’s time for another collection of news and fun stuff for LGBT parents: Put on your flak jackets. “It is same-sex parenting that is heating up as the next skirmish in the nation’s culture wars,” asserts the Chicago Tribune. Nancy Polikoff points out just how scary are the proposed Bush rules that would allow healthcare [...]
Newsweek Covers Lesbian Custody Case
The latest issue of Newsweek has a long piece by Lorraine Ali, “Mrs. Kramer Vs. Mrs. Kramer” covering the child custody case between former civil union partners Janet Jenkins and Lisa Miller. This is the case that I’ve covered many times before, which has bounced between the jurisdictions of Vermont and Virginia. It’s good to [...]
Weekly Political Update
Two Democratic state legislators in California launched bills in support of overturning Prop. 8. If approved, they would place both houses on record as opposing Prop 8 and declaring it an illegal revision to the state constitution. One report says Indiana lawmakers are unlikely to give serious consideration next year to a constitutional amendment banning [...]
Florida, Adoption and Why Marriage isn’t Enough
In my latest article for 365gay.com, I discuss the Florida adoption ruling and the sometimes fuzzy connections between parental rights and marriage rights. If you’re following the Florida case, you might also be interested in the video that the ACLU made about the plaintiff family. After the jump:
Off to Blogger Initiative in DC
I’m off to DC this weekend for the LGBT Bloggers & Citizen Journalist Initiative. Mike Rogers is organizing it and kindly invited me to attend. I’ll also be speaking on a panel about group and event blogging, having managed one or two blogging events in my time. I’m looking forward to meeting a lot of [...]
“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 51
Helen and I tell viewers what parents don’t want people to get their kids for the holidays. (Remember this vlog is also published at After Ellen, where there’s a higher percentage of non-parents.) We then offer some ideas for presents that fit these tough economic times and probably won’t get returned. Plus: why our Christmas [...]
Prop 8: The Musical
This made my morning. (Yeah, they use that old Bible gag from The West Wing. But since Allison Janney is in this, too, I’ll forgive them.) Featuring (besides Janney) Margaret Cho, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, John C. Reilly, Kathy Najimy, Rashida Jones, Sarah Chalke, Jack Black, Neil Patrick Harris and Marc Shaiman. See more Jack [...]
Tango Gets a Reprieve
The guinea pigs have had the spotlight this year, as picture book Uncle Bobby’s Wedding has faced several attempted challenges from library patrons who wanted to remove or reshelve it. The penguins of And Tango Makes Three are not out of danger yet, however, as a school board meeting in Ankeny, Iowa made clear. Cindy [...]
BU Law’s LGBT Group Celebrates 30 Years of Service to Students and Society
(Originally published in Bay Windows, November 20, 2008. This has less to do with parenting than most of my pieces, but may be of interest to those of you who have children in college, were/are involved in collegiate LGBT groups yourselves, or are lawyers.) OutLaw, the LGBT student group at Boston University School of Law, [...]
Songs That Go from Erin Lee and Marci
Children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci bring us the next of their regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family. Look for Erin Lee and Marci here on the first Monday of each month, or visit their homepage, www.gottaplay.org. I’ve created links [...]
World AIDS Day
Today is World AIDS Day. AIDS has impacted many people we know and communities of which we are part. Since this is a parenting blog, however, I thought I would highlight some recent statistics about AIDS and children. The numbers, of course, don’t capture the personal stories, the parents who must watch their children die, [...]
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