Lesbian Moms Rejected as Leaders of Son’s Cub Scout Troop

Cate and Elizabeth Wirth, a lesbian couple in Vermont, were told by a Vermont district director of the Boy Scouts that they could no longer volunteer for their son’s Cub Scout troop after it became known that they are a couple. According to the Rutland Herald, Richard Stockton, Scout executive for the Green Mountain Council, confirmed, “The national policy of the Boy Scouts of America is we don’t accept gays and lesbians as volunteers.”

This is awful, but given the Boy Scout’s previous history with gay matters, it is perhaps not surprising. (For the record, I also have a serious problem with the fact that the Boy Scouts don’t allow atheists or agnostics to be leaders, either.)

What is interesting, however, and what I hope will stir some discussion among those of you who are around over the holiday, is this comment from one of the mothers: Read the rest of this post »

LGBT Parent Newsmakers of the Year

Who were the LGBT parents who made headlines this year in mainstream or LGBT news? Here are my top individuals or couples, in alphabetic (not rank) order. Please make your own additions in the comments—I realize I’m heavy on lesbian moms and light in other parts of the community (and on non-U.S. names). Read the rest of this post »

Breaking: Ex-Lesbian Mom Incommunicado Before Custody Handover

Lisa Miller, the “ex-lesbian” mom who has been waging a lengthy custody battle with her former partner, Janet Jenkins, over their daughter Isabella, “has ceased contact with her attorneys and disappeared with (Isabella),” according to Vermont Judge William Cohen in the Times-Argus. (Thanks, Right Wing Watch.)

In November, Judge Cohen granted sole custody of 7-year-old Isabella to Jenkins, her non-biological mother, because of Miller’s continued refusal to allow Isabella even to visit Jenkins. Jenkins, however, was willing to allow Miller to continue visitation. The judge felt that giving Jenkins custody was the only way to ensure Isabella would continue to have contact with both parents.

Judge Cohen recently issued a decision saying that he could not delay the order, partly because Miller has neither appeared in court nor spoken with her attorneys (from the conservative Liberty Counsel) for over a month.

My thoughts are with Isabella. I dearly hope that Miller is simply spending some personal time with her daughter before the upcoming change in their lives, and not going into long-term hiding or doing anything else that would be detrimental to Isabella’s well being.

We’ll know on Friday. Stay tuned.

LGBT Parenting Roundup

Politics and Law

• A must-read this week is Jacob M. Appel’s piece on the growing “sperm donors’ rights movement,” in which donors are trying to assert their claims to parenthood.
• New Mexico’s new parentage laws go into effect on January 1, Nancy Polikoff reminds us. The Really Quite Wonderful new law states: “a person who…consents to assisted reproduction…with the intent to be the parent of a child is a parent of the resulting child.” The non-biological parent is supposed to consent in writing, but will still be considered a parent if she resided with the child during the first two years of the child’s life “and openly held out the child as [her] own.” Washington, D.C. enacted a similar law last July. Nancy has more on what this all means and how New Mexico recognizes same-sex couples in other ways. Read the rest of this post »

Get Mombian on Kindle

Did your sweetie treat you well this holiday season and get you a Kindle? Looking for something to fill its sleek yet capacious body?

You can now get Mombian delivered right to your Kindle. It costs $1.99 per month (after a 14-day free trial); the advantage over the free version here is that you can get it anywhere you have a wireless Kindle connection—which is just about anywhere the AT&T network reaches. On the bus, in the park, at your child’s basketball game—you name it. (Don’t let a stray ball hit the Kindle, however.)

Enjoy!

I am a member of the Amazon Associates program, and get a small referral fee from all purchases made at Amazon.com via links on this site. You are under no obligation to purchase through them.

Happy Kwanzaa!

A very happy Kwanzaa to those of you celebrating it today. Kwanzaa is not part of our family’s tradition, but I love how it shows that we can honor our heritage in new ways, with traditions rooted in the past but developed in the present. (Kwanzaa was founded in 1966, which to me counts as present in terms of major holidays.) I like the way it draws from multiple African cultures regardless of religious faith and celebrates the diversity within a common identity. Lots of lessons there for all people.

Having said that it is not a part of my own family tradition, I should add: Last night at dinner, we were talking about various holidays. Helen’s side of the family is white and Protestant, and mine is Eastern European Jewish, though not observant. I’m a practicing atheist who spent my grad school years studying the medieval Catholic worldview. Our son, raised in our “We celebrate everything!” tradition, at one point proclaimed, “Let’s celebrate Kwanzaa!” and proceeded to demonstrate that he knew quite a lot about it, including its purpose and the meaning of the colors on the Kwanzaa candles. Let’s hear it for our modern, multi-cultural public education system. He was quite adamant that he wanted to observe it because he likes the idea of a harvest festival and celebrating people of all skin colors.

I can’t argue with that, although I am also aware of the dangers associated with cultural appropriation. Still, I see nothing wrong with simply talking about each of the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa during the course of the week. We’ll use it as an opportunity for raising our cultural awareness as well as discussing some of the commonalities across all our observances. Gotta go look up some kid-friendly poems or other short readings that might apply. (Suggestions welcome.)

Whatever holiday or holidays you observe, may you rejoice in your family’s heritage and your own unique interpretation of it.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Mrs. Claus

Merry Christmas to those of you observing the holiday. The joys of the season to you and your families.

Posting will be light here for a few days as I spend time playing with my son’s new toys. (He’ll have a lot; we can take turns.)

What Was Your Favorite Lesbian Mom Celebrity News in 2009?

Let’s keep it light this week: