Animator Says Disney Open to Film with Same-Sex Parents

Disney animator Andreas Deja, a 30-year veteran of the company, spoke with News.com.au about the idea of including same-sex parents in a future Disney film. Surprisingly, he thinks it could happen.

“Is there ever going to be a family that has two dads or two mums? Time will tell,” he said.
“I think once they (Disney chiefs) find the right kind of story with that kind of concept, they will do it.
“It has to be the right kind of story and you have to find that first.”

Screenwriters, start your engines.

If one gives an ounce of thought to all of the dysfunctional and fractured families that have populated Disney films over the years, same-sex parents will seem positively normal. As they should.

Join Us for a Webcast with Bestselling Author Jodi Picoult About Her New Novel of Lesbian Moms

I’m very excited to invite you to a special event here at Mombian: a live, streaming interview and chat on Monday, March 7 with #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult about her latest novel, Sing You Home, the story of a lesbian couple and their attempts to have a child.

I’ll have a fuller review coming up in my Mombian newspaper column soon, so I’ll say little here except that I do recommend it, not least because Picoult avoids the clichéed “search for a donor” plot of most stories about lesbians trying to get pregnant. Instead, she takes a different approach, giving us a tale that deftly blends the personal and political. The book also includes a CD of original songs with words by Picoult and music by Ellen Wilber, who will be performing on the Webcast.

Join us here at Mombian on Monday, March 7 at 7:00 p.m. EST for the Webcast, part of the Literary Salon Series of Picoult’s publisher, Atria Books.  The interview, moderated by book reviewer Bethanne Patrick, will be broadcast from an event at New York City’s Andaz 5th Avenue Hotel to celebrate the novel’s release. There will be a chat window going, too, so you can share your own questions and comments.

Atria Books also informs me:

Autographed books for purchase will be available before, during and after this web event by visiting http://bit.ly/SingYouHome.  $2 from each sale will be donated to Jodi’s charity of choice, The Trevor Project, the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.

(I receive no fees from those sales and have received no compensation for promoting the event.)

For more details, a trailer, and book club discussion questions, visit the Sing You Home Web site.

I hope you will join us Monday!

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 122

Helen and I discuss surviving the winter with kids and a new favorite museum set in the same town as one of this year’s Oscar Best Picture nominees. (And it’s not The Kids Are All Right.) Leave a comment with the names of your favorite small/middling-sized museum(s).

Mombian: She Got Me Pregnant, 03-03-2011
Uploaded by drudolph. – Watch more LGBT videos.
(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: or Why Burping Turtles Are Like LGBT Kids’ Books

Happy birthday to the good doctor, who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel on this date in 1904.

While we may not be able to celebrate quite like they do in Katroo, we can celebrate Read Across America Day, an annual “reading motivation and awareness program” run by the National Education Association (NEA).

I feel obliged to point out once again, however, that while the NEA has a chock-full Diversity Calendar, listing all kinds of celebrations and observances, the major heritage months (Black History Month, Women’s History Month, etc.), and links to resources, there is one major heritage month missing from it. In June. Three guesses. No—you’ll need just one. Read the rest of this post »

Rainbow Bibliography to Help LGBTQ Youth

(I posted briefly about this a few weeks ago, but wanted to wait until it ran in a few more places as my newspaper column before posting the whole thing. Since today is Read Across America Day, it seemed a good time to do so.)

Rainbow Bibliography Helps Librarians Help LGBTQ Youth

With all the recent media attention about the need to support LGBTQ youth, it is notable that the American Library Association (ALA) is in its fourth year of giving librarians the tools to do just that.

The ALA on January 15 published its fourth annual Rainbow Bibliography, a selective but wide-ranging list of recommended LGBTQ-inclusive books for readers under 18. Five days earlier, it bestowed the first-ever Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Awards to honor the very top titles in the field.

Wisconsin high school librarian Lynn Evarts, who chairs the committee that chooses the Bibliography, says the list is especially important for librarians who may be challenged if they put LGBTQ-inclusive books on their shelves. If that happens, she said, “you can whip this list out and say, ‘Look, this ALA committee said this was a recommended title. Back off, buddy.’ As a librarian in the school, I like to have that to support me.”

The 31 titles on the list are a mix of styles and genres, including graphic novels, a photo essay, and celebrity biographies, as well as more traditional fiction and non-fiction works. Read the rest of this post »

Belgian Dads Bring Home Son

In yesterday’s LGBT Parenting Roundup, I mentioned the two gay dads who had run into difficulties bringing their son, born in Ukraine to a surrogate, into Belgium to live with them. The boy has lived in an orphanage for over a year because of Belgian surrogacy laws that kept him from his fathers.

Good news. Laurent Ghilain and Peter Meurrens have now brought their son home. Thanks to Andy Towle for keeping track of their story. Below, via Andy, is the video of their reunion. It’s in French, but the love shows through.