Cynthia Nixon and Christine Marinoni Engaged

Actor Cynthia Nixon announced her engagement to Christine Marinoni yesterday at a New York City rally for marriage equality. The couple is raising two children.

No word on whether they are waiting until they can marry legally in New York or if they will marry in another state and use New York’s policy of recognizing marriages of same-sex couples performed elsewhere.

Best wishes to the moms and their family!

California Schools Under Fire for LGBT-Inclusive Diversity and Anti-Bullying Materials

Lest you think Prop 8 was the only controversial LGBT issue in California:

First, the Alameda School District became the target of irate right-wing parents who learned that school officials were creating elementary school lesson plans that “talked about teasing and explained the different definitions of family.” The lessons included And Tango Makes Three, a book that dares to tell the (true!) story of two male penguins who hatch an egg and raise a chick together. The school district says “parents would not be allowed to keep their children from taking the courses because the lessons don’t include health or sexual education.”

Next, the Castro Valley School District is facing a lawsuit by dozens of parents who want more information about a recent school talk by Pastor Arlene Nehring of the Eden Church of Hayward. Pastor Nehring, who is a lesbian, spoke at Castro Valley High during its annual Days of Diversity program.

The AP (via SFgate) reports, “Some parents became upset after an anonymous e-mail was sent, claiming that Nehring gave step-by-step instructions on how to become gay and transsexual.” (Really? Where were these instructions when I was coming out? They would have made things a lot easier.) The parents have hired ultra-conservative law firm Pacific Justice Institute to represent them.

Polly at Lesbian Dad has covered this in detail because Castro Valley High is her alma mater (and incidentally, also that of Rachel Maddow). She also discusses matters in nearby Alameda.

The Alameda School Board has scheduled a special school board meeting to hear public comments, tomorrow (Monday) at 6:30 p.m. PT, Kofman Auditorium, 2200 Central Ave., Alameda.

A court hearing of the suit against the Castro Valley school district has been tentatively scheduled for June 16.

How can you help? The Our Family Coalition has sent around this information about Alameda e-mail; I expect they’ll follow up with more details about Castro Valley: Read the rest of this post »

Five Years Later: Proof Positive

May 17, 2004: The first legal marriages of same-sex couples in Massachusetts.

Still locust-free here in the Bay State.

Weekly Political Roundup

Another big week:

• President Obama “is under pressure to engage on a variety of gay issues that are coming to the fore” reports the New York Times. Perhaps obvious, but the article is a good summary of where things stand.
• Lawyer Emma Ruby-Sachs looks at the two lesbians who are under consideration for the U.S. Supreme Court, but notes astutely, “We don’t need a diverse judge to win rights that protect diversity. We just need someone with a little integrity, patience and intelligence.”
• Howard Berman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, which, among other things, would offer same-sex partners and children of Foreign Service officers the benefits routinely provided to opposite-sex spouses and children of officers serving abroad. It would also apply to Peace Corps employees serving as members of the Foreign Service. Read the rest of this post »

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 68

Helen and I bring you the inside scoop on our recent trip to Disney World, including our son’s obsession with teen secret agent Kim Possible (think Buffy meets James Bond) and our disappointment that we couldn’t find any Kim merchandise among the princess and pirate paraphernalia. We also tell you what we love about Disney World despite its stereotypes and offer some hints for those visiting with or without children.

(If the embedded image doesn’t work for you, try it through this link.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.

Wanda Sykes Now a Lesbian Mom!

Comedian and actor Wanda Sykes, who came out last fall and last week entertained at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, has just announced that she is also a mom!

Sykes and her spouse Alex (last name unknown) welcomed twins Olivia Lou and Lucas Claude on April 27th. Kudos to them for taking the first few weeks as family time before letting the public know. (And bonus kudos to Alex for letting Sykes jet off to D.C. and leave her with two newborns. At least I’m assuming Alex and the kiddies didn’t go. President Obama better be giving them a really nice baby gift!)

I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing how Sykes incorporates tales of parenthood into her humor!

Breaking: Florida Appeals Court Says State Must Honor Second-Parent Adoptions of Other States

Via NCLR. My emphases:

Today, the Florida Court of Appeals unanimously reversed a lower court ruling and held that Florida must give full faith and credit to adoptions granted to same-sex couples by other states, holding that Lara Embry, the plaintiff in the case, “must be given the same rights as any other adoptive parent in Florida.” The court based its decision on the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the federal constitution and a Florida statute requiring Florida to honor adoption decrees from other states. Noting that “there are no public policy exceptions to the full faith and credit which is due to judgments entered in another state,” the court concluded that “regardless of whether the trial court believed that the Washington adoption violated a clearly established public policy in Florida, it was improper for the trial court to refuse to give the Washington judgment full faith and credit.” A concurring opinion further noted that Embry’s “same-sex relationship with [the other parent] is irrelevant for the purpose of enforcing her rights and obligations as an adoptive parent.” Read the rest of this post »

LGBT Parenting Roundup

Family stories:

• SoVo talks with a lesbian and a gay man who each have lesbian moms. It’s a rare look at these “second gen-ers” who are sometimes forgotten in our haste to insist that not all LGBT parents have LGBT kids.
• On a related note, Brett Berk (who guest posted here last week) discusses how his newly out mom is trying to “out-gay” him.
• Autumn Sandeen writes about how being a transgender parent affects her feelings on Mother’s Day, and how she was reminded this year about the meaning of family.
• Paige Schilt (who also guest posted here last week) interviews her spouse Katy Koonce about being a trans-genderqueer-butch-dyke-mommy.

Politics (on parental issues; general politics I cover in my Friday roundups):

• The Australian government confirmed that same-sex parents will be eligible for its paid parental leave, which will allow primary carers up to eighteen weeks of leave after the birth of a child. The City of Sydney Council is also looking at ways of offering parental leave to adoptive and non-biological co-parents. Read the rest of this post »