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Showtime’s “House of Lies” Off on the Right Foot with Gender Variant Child

A few days ago, I asked if Showtime’s new House of Lies series, premiering tonight at 10p.m. ET, would give a positive and unoffensive portrayal of the gender variant child of the lead character. Early indications are that they have done so. Diane Anderson-Minshall at the Advocate says, “For all the reasons other shows fail [...]

Will Showtime’s “House of Lies” Tell the Truth About Gender Variant Kids?

There’s a new LGBTQ character coming to television that I haven’t seen much coverage of yet—and because the character is a gender-variant child, I’ll take up the cause of spreading some awareness here at this parenting blog. Showtime’s new comedy series, House of Lies, which starts this Sunday, stars Don Cheadle as a “charming, fast [...]

Hanukkah Songs and Miracles

Like many of the Hebraic persuasion, I’ve always felt a little shortchanged when it comes to holiday songs. Radio stations play hours of Christmas carols without repeats, whereas we’re pretty much stuck with “I Had a Little Dreidel” and “Hanukkah, Oh, Hanukkah.” (I know, there are a handful of other traditional tunes, but really, just [...]

Psych Character Has Lesbian Mom — But Will Network Show Her?

I admit it. I like USA Network’s comedy Psych. Maybe I like the 80′s references. Maybe I like remembering Dulé Hill in his halcyon days with the Bartlet administration. Maybe I’m just a sucker for female police officers like Maggie Lawson’s Jules O’Hara and Kirsten Nelson’s Police Chief Karen Vick. Sure, the humor is sometimes a [...]

25 Years of Choosing Children

(Here’s another column I originally published last year, but which I think bears repeating as part of my parenting-related contribution to LGBT History Month. A few bits revised slightly to bring them up to date.) With Eric Stonestreet winning an Emmy last year for his portrayal of a gay dad in ABC’s Modern Family, and the [...]

The Kids Are All Right Headed for HBO Series

The Kids Are All Right, the 2010 movie about two lesbian moms and their teenage kids, is headed to HBO to become a one-hour drama series, SheWired informs us. Deadline adds that “it will continue the adventures of the five main characters.” No word on who will star in any of the leading roles, including [...]

Lesbian Moms Have Star Trek-Themed Wedding

Because here at Mombian, I’m dedicated to bringing you all the really important news about lesbian moms: This is what happens when you let same-sex couples get hitched—they do so with their own style. Anita Bayliss and Margaret Wood had a Star Trek-themed civil partnership ceremony in Swansea, South Wales, to commemorate their meeting in a [...]

Jane Lynch On Motherhood

Glee actor Jane Lynch spoke with the Advocate about her new memoir, Happy Accidents, her early life and career, coming out, and becoming a sudden mother after meeting and marrying psychologist Lara Embry, who has two children from a previous relationship. “Motherhood has changed me,” she says. You and all the rest of us, darling. But there’s [...]

Casting Call for LGBTQ Families

I’m passing along this casting call with the caveat that I have no personal experience with the project or company. If you’re interested, please contact them at the e-mail address below. (And if you’re selected, please let us know so we can all watch when it airs.) Even if you’re not interested, but have thoughts [...]

Harry Potter and the Definition of Family

From USA Today’s review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2: On the surface, Harry Potter was a tale of magic. But it also was a story about love, for friends, teachers and family—biological or otherwise—and the ability of love to flourish in the most difficult circumstances.

Harry Potter and the Anticipated Finale

Let’s face it: for many of us, there’s only one thing on our minds this week: the release of the final Harry Potter film. I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a huge fan—and not just because the series has a definite queer sensibility, what with its themes of social justice, author J.K. Rowling’s admission [...]

PBS Goes OUT in America

This Wednesday, June 8, at 8:00 pm ET/PT, PBS will be airing the premiere of OUT in America, a documentary by Emmy award-winning director Andrew Goldberg in association with Oregon Public Broadcasting. I have not yet seen the film, though I’ve heard good things about it. Here’s the official blurb, plus a video clip. If [...]

Interview with Director of Film About Dad Coming Out at Age 75

Please enjoy this short interview with Mike Mills, director of the film Beginners, about the true story of his father coming out at age 75. The film stars Golden Globe Award nominee Ewan McGregor, Academy Award nominee Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent of Inglourious Basterds, and Goran Visnjic of ER. Thanks to COLAGE for the clip. [...]

Cool Like Rachel: Glee’s Lea Michele Inspires Child of Gay Dads

Yes, I’m a Gleek, but even if you’re not a fan of Glee, you’ll appreciate this vignette from the Hollywood Reporter’s recent piece about the show. Actor Lea Michele, who plays Rachel Berry, a character with gay dads, stops while filming in New York to speak with a 10-year-old fan who has two dads.

Watch Here: Award-Winning Film on Youth with LGBTQ Parents

COLAGE, the national organization for people with LGBTQ parents, has just released its award-winning short film In My Shoes for online viewing. You can view it below in its entirety. COLAGE’s description: In My Shoes follows five youth who have lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer parents who give you a chance to walk in [...]

Royal Wedding Poem: “Absolutely Queer”

Last week, I wrote about the poem that British Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy was writing for Prince William and Kate Middleton, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Duffy is a mom, and also a lesbian, and had hinted that any poem she wrote for the royal wedding would be inclusive of both marriages [...]

Lesbian Swans and LGBT Parenting Films – LGBT Parenting News from Boston

Two pieces of LGBT parenting news from my town of Boston: On May 3, the Boston Public Garden’s famed swans return for the season. The birds, Romeo and Juliet, are in fact a pair of females who laid eggs and attempted to care for them together, as the Boston Globe reported, and I discussed, a few years back. [...]

Nurse Jackie’s Lesbian Moms Divorce

The lesbian moms are back on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie tonight—and the sad news is, they’re getting a divorce. Below is a clip of them (played by Swoosie Kurtz and Judith Light) telling their son, Peter Facinelli’s Dr. Fitch “Coop” Cooper. Still, I love the portrayal of the moms on the show because it’s one of [...]

Poet, Mother (and Lesbian) to Write in Honor of Royal Wedding

I wasn’t going to write about the royal wedding at all. Despite having lived in the U.K. for a couple of years, I find the monarchy interesting only as an example of the persistence of older traditions of European leadership. (Yes, I was a historian.)

But as a chronicler of things related to lesbian moms, I now feel obligated to note that Carol Ann Duffy, Britain’s Poet Laureate, will be writing a poem for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding. Duffy is a lesbian and a mother.

Nurse Jackie: The Return of the Lesbian Moms

So who else is watching the season premiere of Nurse Jackie on Showtime tonight? As fans of the show will know, it’s full of all kinds of The Gay—plus Edie Falco, whose character Jackie isn’t gay, though her hair is. Personally, I’m most excited about the fact that Dr. Coop’s (Peter Facinelli’s) lesbian moms will [...]

Lesbian Moms and Little Gold Men

(Originally published as my Mombian newspaper column. Yes, the Academy Awards were a few weeks back, but I think this is still relevant.) Lisa Cholodenko’s mainstream film about two lesbian moms, The Kids Are All Right, was up for four Academy Awards this year, including Best Picture. Although the movie failed to take home any [...]

Stealing Lines from Glee: The Big Sex Talk

If you don’t watch Glee regularly, or missed it last Tuesday, get thee to the Fox Web site and watch it. Not only were there two—count ‘em, two—queer storylines, but they were handled with a sensitivity and honesty that puts most other shows to shame. (If you don’t believe me, go read Dorothy Snarker’s perspective [...]

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.

The Kids Are All Right–But Hear It from Them

Although it’s been nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, most critics feel The Kids Are All Right, Lisa Cholodenko’s film about two lesbian moms, their teen children, and their sperm donor, won’t take home any prizes tonight. That’s okay. Whether it wins, or even if you disliked it (as many in the lesbian [...]

Cynthia Nixon and Christine Marinoni Add to Their Family

Actor Cynthia Nixon and her financée, education activist Christine Marinoni, welcomed a baby boy yesterday, reports People magazine. The couple already have two children, 14 and 8, from Nixon’s previous relationship. If you missed Nixon’s long interview last year with the Advocate, go read. She talks about meeting Marinoni, how her kids responded to their [...]