Happy Fall!

Happy fall to everyone!

Fall, to me, has always signaled new beginnings. Too many years in academia, I suppose, and now a son in the educational system. I also love the foods of fall, from fresh apples to savory casseroles to home-baked pumpkin pie.

What are your favorite fall activities or foods?

Tennessee Says Mom’s Partner Not Necessarily a Paramour

The Tennessee Court of Appeals unanimously ordered a trial court to reconsider a ruling preventing Angel Chandler, a divorced mom, from having her teen children and her partner of 10 years stay overnight at her home at the same time. The trial court used the so-called “paramour clause” to impose the restriction. The ACLU, which represented Chandler, explains:

Despite a court-ordered psychological evaluation of all the parties finding Chandler’s partner was a positive influence on the teenagers, the trial judge imposed the restriction under the mistaken belief that he was required to do so under state law. Since same-sex couples cannot get married in Tennessee, the requirement that Chandler couldn’t have an unmarried partner in the home meant that Chandler couldn’t have her partner of ten years live at home. . . .

Read the rest of this post »

Gay Grandfather and Gay Grandson Talk with NPR

As part of NPR’s StoryCorps, a project recording conversations between loved ones, Morning Edition’s Renee Montagne spoke with Tony Perri and his 20-year-old grandson Jeffrey. Tony came out as gay after being married to Jeffrey’s grandmother for 12 years. They remained married for another five.

In the piece, he talks about confessing to a priest about being gay, coming out to his family, and his grandson. Jeffrey in turn speaks about coming out to his grandfather. It’s a wonderful snapshot of multi-generational family life. (And it’s short, so do listen.)

The Library of Congress is archiving all StoryCorps interviews.

Goodbye to The OTHER Mother

Today comes the sad news that Robin of The OTHER Mother is closing down her blog. Robin has been blogging for five and a half years and has been a true fixture of the LGBT parenting blogosphere.

I respect (and even admire) her decision to close the blog, since I assume she has made the right choice for herself and her family. At the same time, I will truly miss her thoughtful posts and the images of her two engaging, curly-headed girls.

Thanks for all the memories, Robin! Best wishes to you and your family!

What Really Constitutes Family

Happy Monday, everyone! To start the week, here’s a passage I like from a Bay Windows article by Rev. Irene Monroe, one of the officiants at the wedding of Cambridge, Mass. Mayor E. Denise Simmons and Ms. Mattie Hayes. Mayor Simmons is also the mother of four and is raising her three grandchildren. She and Hayes wed August 30 at St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church in Cambridge, making it possibly the first mainstream African American church to hold a same-sex wedding.

Monroe writes:

Historically, as African Americans, we have always focused on spiritual content of family and not physical composition of it. . . .

These multiple family structures, which we have had to devise as models of resistance and liberation, have always, by example, shown the rest of society what really constitutes family. A family where a grandmother raises her grandchild or a lesbian couple raises their children. Just like in the Simmons-Hayes household. A household that is now legal by the state and blessed by the church.”

Weekly Political Roundup

• U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced a bill seeking to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The bill is co-sponsored by openly gay Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI.) and Jared Polis (D-CO), but not by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) , who says we should first focus on other LGBT rights bills: the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA); a bill to give equal benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees, and a bill to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Frank also feels that because the bill says the federal government will recognize marriages that were valid in the state where they were entered into, not necessarily the same as the couple’s home state, the bill abandons the strategy of “dealing with marriage state by state” and has no chance of passage.
• The Department of Justice has filed a motion to dismiss in Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, GLAD’s lawsuit challenging Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act. GLAD’s press release is here; Chris at Law Dork has more, and opines, “The DOJ’s Motion to Dismiss is measured in its defense of the Defense of Marriage Act, which doubtless will leave some unsatisfied, but it is far closer to the type of brief I’d expect the DOJ to file these days than the Smelt brief, which everyone agrees went too far.”
• President Obama nominated Chai Feldblum as a Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The Georgetown law professor is the first openly LGBT person nominated to the commission.
• Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), who introduced a bill to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, says he said he expects the House to hold hearings on it in winter or spring of 2010. Read the rest of this post »

Lesbian Mom Named Tampa Police Chief

Jane Castor, a 25-year veteran of the Tampa Police Department, out lesbian, and mother of two, has been named the department’s new chief. She will be the first woman to serve as chief of that city, and the first lesbian police chief statewide.

The mainstream media is noting her significance as the first woman, but (not surprisingly) is playing down the fact that she is a lesbian. The Tampa Tribune (link above) only wrote obliquely that she served as the department’s liaison to the gay and lesbian community. Over at Creative Loafing, Castor is quoted as saying that trails had already been blazed for her as an out member of the department, and her sexual orientation is a non-issue. Nadine Smith, head of Equality Florida, noted, however, “There was a time when sexism and homophobia would have prevented the most qualified candidate from getting selected. And so it is a testament to her impressive résumé and the progress we’ve made as a society that she’s been named as the new police chief.”

Congratulations to another lesbian mom for her contributions to the LGBT community and her community at large.

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 83

Helen and I discuss a melodrama shot entirely at Ikea (without the staff knowing) and how motherhood may have helped Kim Clijsters win at the U.S. Open. We also give you our thoughts on the anime-crossover movie Ponyo, now out from Disney with Tina Fey, Cate Blanchett, and Lily Tomlin among those redubbing the Japanese original.

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.