Archives › Allies
I’m always happy when I find new authors who have written books featuring LGBT families. I’m also happy when I find strong straight allies of the LGBT community. Canadian Heather Jopling is both—though in fact, “ally” is too weak a term. She is the author of Ryan’s Mom is Tall, Monika’s Papa Is Tall, and [...]
Bringing Parents’ Rights and LGBT Rights Together
I didn’t write my Bay Windows column for this week with International Women’s Day in mind, but it seems appropriate nonetheless. It explores the need for “Mothers’ Rights” and “LGBT Rights” groups to come together in support of all families. “Mothers’ rights,” defined as better workplace policies, childcare options, and children’s health insurance, touch fathers [...]
Interview with Anne S. Wynne of Atticus Circle
Straight allies are an invaluable component of the struggle for LGBT equality. Anne S. Wynne is the founder of Atticus Circle, an organization that educates and mobilizes straight allies in support of equal rights for LGBT Americans and our families. Anne agreed to answer some questions about her organization for Mombian’s interview series. Below, she [...]
Gay Dads on Oprah: Forums Ignite
I mentioned on Friday that gay dads Mark and Andy Sutherland-Travino, along with their children and great niece, are going to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show tomorrow, January 29, in an episode titled “Fascinating Families” (previously titled “Extraordinary Families”). The message boards on Oprah’s Web site are ablaze with the usual prejudiced comments, along [...]
A Quote for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Today I want to pass along a quote from Coretta Scott King, wife of slain civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Mrs. King was speaking at Lambda Legal’s 25th Anniversary Luncheon in 1998: As Martin once said, ‘We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny… an inescapable network of mutuality… I can [...]
Today Show Hosts Author of Single by Chance, Mothers by Choice
Last fall, I reviewed the excellent new book Single by Chance, Mothers by Choice: How Women are Choosing Parenthood without Marriage and Creating the New American Family by sociologist Rosanna Hertz. Dr. Hertz will be on the Today show tomorrow, January 15, between 8 and 8:30 a.m. Eastern. If you are interested in how the [...]
New CareSquare Social Network Connects Parents and Caregivers
New lesbian social networks like OurChart and Olivia.com are getting lots of publicity these days. More useful for us moms, however, may be a new community network for parents and caregivers of all orientations, CareSquare. Through the site, parents can find babysitters and nannys whom their friends recommend, then check availability and book services through [...]
If you’ve seen any news coverage in the past 24 hours, you’ve probably heard that the Massachusetts Legislature voted to advance a measure that would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage. If the Legislature passes the measure again in its next session, it will go onto the 2008 ballot. Major media outlets like [...]
Conference Call on Children’s Health-Insurance Coverage
It’s easy for us as LGBT parents to focus all our political energies on LGBT-specific issues. I’m often guilty of it myself, especially as parenthood has reduced my available bandwidth for anything not related to teddy bears or Thomas the Tank Engine. I just received an invitation, however, from Families USA, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization [...]
Interview with Ellen Kahn, Director of the HRC Family Project
I’m very pleased to present a special feature today: an interview with Ellen Kahn, Director of the Human Rights Campaign Family Project. Ellen took time from her work at HRC (and her two children) to answer a few questions about the Family Project’s accomplishments in 2006 and what they have in store for 2007 and [...]
ER’s Lesbian Mom Finds Love
Last night’s episode of ER showed doctor and lesbian mom Kerry Weaver (portrayed by actor Laura Innes), starting a new relationship after a long drought. That’s one more lesbian kiss for network television. In what could be a first for a network show, however, the episode featured not one, but two LGBT storylines, as Dr. [...]
Seasonal Thoughts on the Evolving Family
Thanksgiving and the pending winter holidays are for most of us a time to be with family. As we enter into this season of love and light and kinship, it seems appropriate to reflect on the changes propagating through society’s traditional view of families. As LGBT parents, we are reminded every day that we must [...]
Chicago Tribune Columnist: Same-Sex Marriage Affirms Traditional Marriage
It’s always good when someone writes intelligently in a mainstream publication about LGBT rights. Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune yesterday tackled the conservative claim that same-sex marriage “would grossly shortchange the needs of children ‘in order to further adult interests in sexual freedom’”: Now, it will come as a shock to heterosexual couples that [...]
GLSEN Celebrates Ally Week
The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and its student clubs are celebrating October 15-21 as Ally Week. GLSEN says: “Ally Week is about identifying and supporting allies and asking them to sign the Ally Pledge to intervene in bullying and harassment throughout the school year.” Students and clubs are encouraged to register for Ally [...]
How to Respond When Meeting Lesbian Moms
(This is a slightly edited version of the post I ran last NCOD, to favorable response.) Today is National Coming Out Day (NCOD) in the U. S. Instead of offering advice on coming out (ably covered by HRC), I want to flip things around and offer a few tips to people who may be unsure how [...]
A Suggestion for National Coming Out Day
This Wednesday, October 11, is National Coming Out Day (NCOD). I don’t know how many people actually come out on NCOD, but that’s not really the point. NCOD can help those who are coming out find resources and support, and make all people aware of the ramifications of staying in the closet. These are both [...]
Book Review: Before You Were Born: Our Wish for a Baby
Before You Were Born: Our Wish for a Baby is a book series by registered nurse Janice Grimes, who works in an IVF (in vitro fertilization) clinic and is an IVF mom herself. The series is intended to help parents explain genetic origins to children conceived by assisted reproduction. Each of the sixteen volumes explains [...]
Chat with Rosanna Hertz
The chat is now over. Thanks to those of you who participated, and to Rosanna for joining us. Welcome to those of you coming here for tonight’s chat with Rosanna Hertz, author of Single by Chance, Mothers by Choice. The chat will begin at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. At 8:45, this link will become live, and [...]
New “Friends for Families” Networking Site Wants LGBT Feedback
I read the other day about Friends for Families, a new “online matching service designed to help your family connect with other families in your area.” It’s similar to a site like Match.com, but instead of matching people for dates, it matches families wanting to meet other families for socializing. It matches them based on [...]
FamilyRoutes: New Online Community for Families
FamilyRoutes is a new online community for families offering free, unlimited blogging and photo sharing as well as a host of other great features. Samantha Fein, one of the founders (and a mom herself), explains the company’s vision: “Each of us has many dimensions, not just parenthood or our work life. This service is about [...]
Hurrican Katrina Remembrance: LGBT Perspectives
Today is the National Day of Remembrance of Hurricane Katrina. Despite an outpouring of public support last year (in the face of what most agree were monumental government snafus), many Gulf Coast residents are still struggling to rebuild their lives. For stories of how LGBT residents of New Orleans are doing so, take a look [...]
Happy Birthday, Martha Stewart
It’s Martha Stewart’s birthday. I’ve always been pretty neutral on Martha: admiring her as a powerful businesswoman but never really getting into her obsessive domesticity. And no, she’s not to my knowledge a lesbian, though I’ve heard the occasional, perhaps wishful, rumor. I mention her birthday here for two reasons. The Kids section of her [...]
Allied Against the Mommy Wars and for LGBT Rights
Like most observers of a war that doesn’t directly involve them, I thought I was safe. The “Mommy Wars” pitting employed mothers against stay-at-homes, accusing the latter of betraying feminism, didn’t seem to apply to me. While I was indeed a stay-at-home mom, I thought that by doing so as a lesbian I was transforming [...]
Atticus Circle Organizes Straight Allies for LGBT Rights
It’s nice to have allies. A new grassroots network of straight allies, Atticus Circle, is expanding their fight for LGBT rights beyond their home state of Texas. The organization hopes to have national impact on education, policy development and legal advocacy to achieve equality for all parents and partners, regardless of sexual orientation. Its founder, [...]
Norman the Mooing Puppy
A dog that moos? Norman the puppy doesn’t know why. He was just Born Different. This great new awareness campaign from the Denver-based Gill Foundation uses a light touch to get people thinking about the nature of sexual orientation. While the ads are aimed at adults, kids old enough to understand what sexual orientation is [...]
