Curveball Pitches and Sexy Moms

Like many bloggers, I get a lot of PR pitches. Here are a few of the more amusing ones I’ve received lately. Some are bad pitches; others are decent pitches for dubious products. Product/company names removed to protect the clueless.

• “Keep these Holiday offerings in mind for that special guy in your life . . . For the rogue dandy and romantic heart . . . . these gifts stand alone and right next to the one you’re with.” I’m thinking they don’t mean my son or my dad. PR fail.
• “How many times have you grappled with sick children and family members during the holidays?” Only when they don’t sit still to take their medicine.
• “Divulge into a budget-friendly, cost-cutting, super-sexy lifestyle approach that allows you to accomplish your goals and be a great mom. . . . This book is specifically tailored for a super, sexy mom lifestyle.” First: Divulge: to disclose or reveal. Second: I wasn’t aware that a super-sexy lifestyle approach would allow me to be a great mom. A great spouse, perhaps. Besides, I’m not sure I need any more sexy in my lifestyle. The whole “homosexual” thing pretty much has me covered. Read the rest of this post »

Getting Married? Consider This Proposal

It should be a happy time for LGBT folks in New Hampshire, with a marriage equality victory making the springtime a little brighter. For the LGBTQ youth organization Seacoast Outright, however, things are looking bleak. The organization, which provides educational, social service and advocacy for gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, and questioning youth in the greater New Hampshire, southern Maine, and northern Massachusetts Seacoast region, has been under financial pressure for some time now, and has just announced its decision to close. The youth members of the group are trying to put together a volunteer group to fund it and allow it to function as a self-reliant entity, but it is unclear if their valiant effort will succeed.

This is not an isolated case. All over the country, smaller LGBT organizations are struggling for donations and survival in a tough economy. Some in the LGBT community put part of the blame on the massive amounts of money sucked into marriage battles such as that of California’s Prop 8. Read the rest of this post »

Gay Dads Get a Lift at IKEA

One more reason I love IKEA. Actual photo from the IKEA in Stoughton, Mass.

(And yes, there was another elevator next to it with a “man” and a “woman” and a child—or a butch and a femme, depending on your perspective. One of the figures was in a dress. Interpret it as you will. That seemed less extraordinary, however, and since my son was dragging me away for meatballs, I didn’t grab a photo.)

Honda Commercial with Gay Dads

Honda must have noticed that Subaru’s marketing to the LGBT community was paying off. In this recent commercial, two men and a young boy get out of a car, ready to head to the beach. Sure, they could be a dad and an uncle, but I’d prefer to think they’re both dads, especially with the tag line, “Designed and priced for us all.” I like it even better that this isn’t a “gay commercial,” but instead shows an LGBT family (and a black one at that) as part of the regular diversity of society:

(Thanks, Sara.)

LGBT Families on Public Television: the Time Has Come

(Originally published in Bay Windows, February 5, 2009.)

Amidst all the talk of potential progress for LGBT rights under President Obama, one opportunity has made few headlines: the prospect of more LGBT inclusive children’s programming on public television. Talk with almost any LGBT parent, and she or he will bemoan the dearth of LGBT families in children’s media. There is a clear need—and a new chance. Read the rest of this post »

Kiddie Consumers

Thanks to Nina at Queercents for pointing out an article from Best Life magazine about kids and consumerism, subtitled: “How to thwart the $17 billion marketing effort to steal your kids’ dreams, hijack their imaginations, make them obese, and drive a wedge into their relationship with you.”

Yikes. It’s enough to make one move to a cabin in the woods and subsist on berries while your kids play games with rocks and sticks.

Nina, the mother of a three-month-old, says, “I’m already wondering how we stop all the stuff from taking over,” and observes, “It is shocking how much stuff a baby can acquire in a mere 90 days – of course, it’s the result of well-meaning friends and family members.”

I don’t want to break it to her that it only gets worse. Read the rest of this post »

Lesbian Mom Could Be Only Out CEO of Major Firm

Susan Arnold, who just stepped down as vice chair and president of global business units at Proctor & Gamble, could become the only out CEO of a FORTUNE 500 firm, and the 16th woman in such a role.

She would also be the first lesbian mom. She and her partner have two teenage children.

Not surprisingly, Arnold is on my list of Most Powerful Lesbian Moms in America. More impressively, she has been on Forbes Magazine’s list of the world’s most powerful women for five years, Bloomberg notes, and last year ranked 49th, above Queen Elizabeth II. (That might say more about the decline of monarchy than about Arnold, but still.)

The Wall Street Journal says, however, that Arnold may take time off for her family rather than jump into a new power job:

Ms. Arnold is among the most prominent gay executives in corporate America—colleagues say she neither hides nor makes a point of her sexual orientation—and she and her partner have a teenage son and daughter. “I think she’ll take some time off,” because “she really had wanted more time for family,” one Arnold acquaintance suggested. “She doesn’t need the money.”

Whatever her decision, I think it’s a huge sign of progress that the WSJ is reporting so matter-of-factly both about the significance of her rise to the top and about her family.

Are You a Subaru Lezzie or a Truck-Driving Dyke?

LGBT car-shopper site Gaywheels.com is conducting a major survey of LGBT auto owners. Publisher Joe LaMuraglia told me they’re looking for more women to participate, however: “We want to make sure that the Lesbian voice is counted. We’ll be presenting this data to all the major car companies and they are really interested. We need the ladies to make sure they are heard!”

The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete online. Topline results will be shared with major automotive companies.

Yes, one of the goals is to be able to target advertising at us. But car manufacturers are going to target us anyway, just because we’re consumers. Wouldn’t it be better if the advertising sometimes showed families like ours? (Always good to remind companies, too, that we’re more likely to buy if they’re a company with LGBT-friendly policies.)

More details below, from the press release: Read the rest of this post »

Bank Ad Shows Transgender Inclusiveness

This isn’t exactly parenting related, but I found it too touching not to blog. Argentina’s Banco Provincia has released an ad featuring a transgender woman. Her neighbor sees how well the bank has treated her, comes to realize his bigotry, and apologizes for his past behavior.

It’s tremendously moving, and groundbreaking for an ad that deals with gender identity. No “gotcha” moment when the transgender character’s biological gender is revealed, no drag costumes, no snarky innuendos. Watch it and see:

Argentina today also dropped its prohibition against having openly gay personnel in its armed services. I imagine Argentinian lesbian mom blogger Julieta, with whom I’m collaborating on the current phase of my Family Voices series, may have more to say on developments in her country.

(Thanks to Jeremy at Bilerico for the link.)

Live from New York

I’ve spent Inauguration Day in transit between Boston and New York in preparation for my keynote at the Working Mother “L-Moms and Allies Breakfast,” catching most of the ceremony in the departure lounge. I wrote up my thoughts for now-President Obama a few days ago, though, so I am therefore taking today just to revel in the possibilities.

I will observe, however, that the LGBT-rights portion of the Obama Transition Team site, Change.gov, has made it successfully over to Whitehouse.gov. Let’s commit to working with President Obama to realize this vision of LGBT rights, even if there are areas where we would like eventually to go further (marriage!) and times when we need to correct his mistakes (Rick Warren).