Blogging for LGBT Families Day – Participating Blogs

It’s here! Today is Blogging for LGBT Families Day, a day to raise awareness about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) families.

Why June 1st? This date falls exactly between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. As such, it honors mothers and fathers equally, but also conveys that not all families fit into the traditional structure of one mother and one father. June 1st is also the start of Gay Pride Month.

Thanks to all of you who are taking part. A special thanks to Jennifer Schumaker, who is nearing the end of a 500-mile walk to encourage dialogue among LGBT people and their families, friends and allies. She took time out of her tiring schedule to write a post for our event. Best of luck to Jennifer in the final two days of her journey.

The list is now so long I’m not putting it on the front page. Click to view all participants: Read the rest of this post »

Lambda Legal Resources for LGBT Families

Lambda Legal is the organization spearheading many of the “impact litigation” cases for LGBT rights. They recently took the lead in striking down an Oklahoma law that banned the state from recognizing adoptions by same-sex parents, even if the adoptions were done legally in other states.

Lambda was also kind enough to help promote Blogging for LGBT Families Day. As a thank you, I wanted to offer links to some of the resources Lambda has for LGBT families:

On parenting and children specifically:

• An Overview of State Adoption Laws.
• Second-Parent Adoption Resources: Lambda Legal’s Backgrounder.
• The Out, Safe, and Respected site to help LGBTQ youth to know their rights and make sure they are respected.
• You Don’t Need to Choose. As a Parent, You have Rights. A Publication for Married Parents Who Come Out.
• What’s Best for Your Kids? Easing your children through separation or divorce from an LGBT spouse.

For LGBT couples with or without children:

• Hospital Visitation – A Right for All Families, an Equality in Action kit.
• Advance Planning: An Overview of Life Planning Documents.

HRC Resources for LGBT Families

The Human Rights Campaign has promoted Blogging for LGBT Families Day through their Web site and Family News e-newsletter. As a thank you, I wanted to point out some of the resources they have available for LGBT families in the U. S.:

The HRC Family Project is the place to start. For parents, it has:

• Specific sections on adoption, custody/visitation, donor insemination, foster parenting, surrogacy, and professional opinions on LGBT parenting.
• The Organization/Agency search for finding adoption attorneys, summer camps, youth services, and more.
• A State Law search, including laws on adoption, custody and visitation, donor insemination, schools, and surrogacy, as well as more general marriage/relationship and non-discrimination laws.
• The Youth/Schools section, for choosing a school, helping to make a school LGBT-friendly, talking with children about LGBT families, and helping your children deal with prejudice.
• Information for straight allies.

For families with or without children, there are sections on marriage, money, religion, and aging.

Tomorrow Is Blogging for LGBT Families Day

Tomorrow is Blogging for LGBT Families Day. I’m very excited by the response. Thanks to all of you who have already indicated that you’ll join us, and who have promoted the event on your blogs. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late. To participate, just write a relevant post, then link, comment or e-mail to let me know. (Details here.) Read the rest of this post »

Mombian on The Gay Parenting Show

Scott Sherman recently interviewed me for his wonderful podcast, The Gay Parenting Show. If you’re not a regular listener, I urge you to hop over for a visit. My part is about 24 minutes into today’s show. You can also enjoy Scott’s discussion of his own family and their major upcoming event as well as his coverage of general LGBT-family news. Scott’s previous shows, too, have lots of interesting interviews and news coverage. Good material to download to your iPod for your next run or stroller walk. Thanks to Scott for inviting me.

If you’re visiting from The Gay Parenting Show, welcome! I’m glad you’ve stopped by.

Parent Hacks

A big thanks to Asha Dornfest of Parent Hacks for helping to spread the word about Blogging for LGBT Families Day.

If you haven’t been to the Parent Hacks site yet, you should take a look. It’s a collaborative blog chock-full of practical tips and advice from real parents. Recent posts include Quick, Healthy Breakfast Ideas, More Toddler Travel Hacks, how to make Bathtub Bubble Volcanoes, and the ever-useful Snot-Wiping Best Practices. Hacks are categorized by type and intended age. Get some advice or submit your own.

Thanks for being an ally, Asha!

HRC Coverage of Blogging for LGBT Families Day

A big thank-you to the Human Rights Campaign Family Project for their piece about Blogging for LGBT Families Day. They call it a “premiere blogosphere event.” (Their words, not mine.)

Let’s not prove them wrong. Please pass the word along on your blogs, and ask any bloggers you know who want to share positive insights about LGBT families to contribute. All they (and you) have to do is write a relevant post on or before June 1, and let me know in one of several simple ways. Anyone who’s busy on June 1 can write a post in advance, or, if their blogging software supports it, edit the post timestamp so it publishes on June 1. Let’s make our voices heard.

Blogging for LGBT Families Day: Update 1

Thanks to everyone who has signed up so far to join the fun on Blogging for LGBT Families Day. I’m happy to report that participants include lesbian moms, gay dads, adult children of LGBT parents, members of the trans community, and straight allies. There are those who have children, those who are trying to, and those who are undeclared. This is also now officially an international event, with bloggers from the UK and Australia as well as the U. S.

It’s been great to discover many new blogs as people sign up. I’m looking forward to meeting more of you over the next few weeks.

If you haven’t already, you can download banners to promote the event. The more of us who participate, the more impact we’ll have.

Blogging for LGBT Families Day 2006

If you’re looking for information about the 2007 Blogging for LGBT Families Day, please click here.

UPDATE, June 1, 2006: The list of participating blogs is here.

I’m declaring June 1, 2006 Blogging for LGBT Families Day, a day to raise awareness about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) families. I want to invite you all to participate. Please also pass the invitation along to anyone, LGBT or straight, whom you think may be interested.

Why June 1st? This date falls exactly between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. As such, it honors mothers and fathers equally, but also conveys that not all families fit into the traditional structure of one mother and one father. June 1st is also the start of Gay Pride Month.

Here’s how it works, in a nutshell: You blog about a relevant topic on or before June 1, and do one of several easy things (see below) to let me know you’ve done so. I will compile a list of all the posts, showcasing the voices of our community and allies. I will also market the event within and beyond the world of LGBT-family blogs.

Thank you in advance for participating. Together we will do great things.

Here are the details: Read the rest of this post »