Politics and Law
- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill that will give married, opposite-sex couples “placement preference” in the adoption of children, when all other factors are equal.
- The Virginia State Board of Social Services voted not to approve a proposal from former Gov. Tim Kaine (D) that would have prohibited discrimination against potential adoptive parents on the basis of sexual orientation.
- An Illinois Senate committee killed a bill that would have allowed child welfare agencies to deny a person’s adoption or foster home application if the person was in a civil union if to do so would go against the organization’s religious beliefs.
- The Delaware Supreme Court ruled that a lesbian mother was the “de facto” parent of the child she had been raising with her former partner, and whom the partner had adopted from Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan does not allow same-sex couples to adopt, and the woman had intended to file for a second-parent adoption later—but then the couple broke up.
- An arrest was made in the long-running custody battle between Janet Jenkins and her former partner Lisa Miller.
- Most custody battles between biological and non-biological parents that make the news involve two women, but here’s the story of two gay dads in Calgary, Alberta facing a similar situation. The non-bio dad declined to adopt the child, because he “he did not want to antagonize the birth mother,” and now he is cut out of the life of the girl he helped raise for several years.
- A French lesbian couple has gone before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in order to try and secure a second-parent adoption of the daughter born to one of them.
- Mark Kellner at The Atlantic shares his “Confessions of a Disinvited White House Bunny,” his tale of how the George W. Bush White House axed his appearance at the White House Easter Egg Roll as Buster Baxter, the bunny star of PBS’ Postcards from Buster, after an episode of the show depicted Buster visiting two lesbian moms and their children at their farm in Vermont.
Personal Stories
- Lots of gender-related stories this week. Joanne Herman brings us the inspiring testimony of a dad speaking about his 13-year-old transgender daughter at a Maine Judiciary Committee hearing on a bill that would allow the operators of restrooms and shower facilities “to decide who can use which gender’s restroom based upon ‘biological sex.'”
- On a related note, you should read this story by a member of the Harry Potter Alliance, a social justice organization, about her experience raising an intersex, transgender daughter and the inspiration the girl found in Harry Potter.
- Nerdyapple, who wrote a moving piece last fall about her son’s feminine Halloween costume, offers her pointed thoughts on the far-right uproar over a recent J. Crew ad showing a mom and her son enjoying painting his toenails pink.
Entertainment and Fun
- HRC wants your nominations for their new “Mother of the Year” campaign, which “aims to raise the visibility of amazing LGBT and ally moms.” They note that those who have two moms may nominate one or both. I leave it to you how you want to bribe your kids.
- Live in Brooklyn, New York? There’s a maternity store in Park Slope that is giving a 10 percent discount to lesbian moms. (I have no affiliation, and make nothing by mentioning them. This isn’t a recommendation, just a bit of news.)