Glee Doesn’t Have Anything on These Kids

The drama group at Concord-Carlisle Regional High School in Massachusetts is performing William Finn and James Lapine’s Tony Award-winning musical Falsettos this weekend. That might seem to be of only local interest, except that the play is about a man who leaves his wife for another man, and the impact of that decision on his wife, son, and two other couples, one lesbian and one straight. The school is the first public high school in the country to produce it for an outside audience, reports the Boston Globe.

The right-wing group MassResistance, which campaigned against marriage equality here in the Bay State, recently sent out an online newsletter with the headline, “Concord-Carlisle High School presenting depraved homosexual musical.’’

The students don’t seem to mind. Director and math teacher Peter Atlas says that when he told the straight students playing the two gay male leads that if their performances were any good, people would likely assume that they, too, were gay, it wasn’t a problem for them. For sophomore Hannah Kilcoyne, who plays the 12-year-old son, the play hits closer to home. After being married to Hannah’s father, her own mom discovered she was a lesbian. Read the rest of this post »

Welcome to New Lesbian Mom Meredith Baxter!

Family Ties actor Meredith Baxter has just come out publicly as a lesbian. Actually, the signs were there earlier, when she joined Sweet’s new lesbian cruise last month and attended the Dinah lesbian festival in Palm Springs last year. She came out to herself and her family seven years ago, reports the Advocate, which is now running her first interview with the LGBT press.

The 62-year-old no longer has children at home, but she is the mother of five and a lesbian, so let’s give her a big welcome into our community of lesbian moms!

Sesame Street Sings of Two Dads

I was wrong. Well, sort of. Last week, I was bemoaning the lack of LGBT representation on Sesame Street. From the Twitter feed of the folks at Dottie’s Magic Pockets, however, comes a reminder of the below segment, “We All Sing the Same Song,” which has two children singing, “I have one daddy . . . I have two” (at about the 1:18 mark).

The song dates from 1982, according to the Muppet Wiki. Given the era, it remains unclear whether they were referring to a child with gay dads or a child with a straight dad and a stepdad. (If they were really into including LGBT families, you’d think we would have heard at least one other mention of them since.) Still, it’s a great song about family diversity to have on your playlist. Interpret it in whatever way works for you.

(I should also note that the folks behind Dottie have a new CD in the works, “The Super Secret Seashell Cave.” It’s available for preorder through their Web site, along with their lesbian- and gay-inclusive kids’ DVD.)

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 90

This week, Helen and I discuss two new must-read books about LGBTQ families. We also share a classic children’s drawing book we’ve been enjoying with our son, and the joys of used office supplies.

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.

Sesame Street and LGBT Families

In honor of the 40th season of Sesame Street, which starts tomorrow, I thought I’d rerun this video, which made the rounds earlier this year and is based on a much older episode of the show.

Yes, this is exactly what marriage equality proponents want to teach children. The horror.

I was two when Sesame Street first launched. As one of the first generation of children to grow up with the show, I’ve always had a soft spot for it (although I raise a skeptical eyebrow at Elmo and Abby Cadabby). It remains not only one of the best children’s shows in terms of pedagogy, but also in terms of inclusivity. That inclusivity has not yet extended to LGBT families, but as I’ve said before, they have a new chance now, under a federal administration that is not likely to yank funding if they do so, and an increasing number of LGBT-friendly corporations who wouldn’t be afraid to sponsor them.

They’ve been a pioneer in diversity before, unafraid to incorporate characters of various ethnicities, languages, and physical abilities. They had a multi-episode storyline with an adoptive single mother in 2006. Really, throwing in an LGBT-headed family wouldn’t be that much of a stretch, and would help them prove that even 40 years on, they remain a leader in teaching children not only the ABC’s, but also the diversity of the society around them.

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 89

Helen and I bring you up to date on Scholastic’s refusal to carry a book with lesbian moms at its book fairs. The company has now made a step in the right direction, but is it enough? We also discuss Preacher’s Sons, a great new documentary showing five years in the lives of two gay dads and the five sons they adopt from California’s foster care system. Plus: If you think lesbian parenting is funny, you don’t know enough about wombats.

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.

Preacher’s Sons Now Available on DVD

The other day, I mentioned the great new documentary Preacher’s Sons, which shows us five years in the lives of two gay dads and the five boys they adopt from California’s foster care system.

In the Life television will be airing the first 20 minutes of the 90-minute film online and on public television in November. If you want the full version for yourself, however, the DVD’s are now available at the film’s Web site. They’re only $20 each, three for $50, or ten for $100. Buy copies for all your friends, plus the schools, libraries, and social service agencies near you. (Filmmaker C Roebuck Reed is developing study guides for high school and college students, and for child service agencies to use in training foster and adoptive parents.)

Here’s my interview with Reed at Bay Windows. She calls the film “a love bomb for Middle America,” a gentle, non-confrontational way to change hearts and minds and ensure more children have the chance to be adopted.

Reed is hoping for investors to fund further distribution and showings. If you know of (or are) an angel investor, or have any clout with film festivals, please contact her at preacherssons@gmail.com.

(I have absolutely no financial interest in this; I just think it is a well done film with a very important message.)

Preacher’s Sons: Two Dads, Five Sons, Four Cities

Preacher’s Sons is a wonderful new documentary that shows us five years in the lives of two gay dads and the five boys they adopt from California’s foster care system. I had the pleasure of interviewing filmmaker C Roebuck Reed recently, and while I can’t crosspost it here yet, you can read it over at Bay Windows.

In the Life television will be airing the first 20 minutes of the 90-minute film (plus an interview with Reed) in November. Check their site for local airtimes or to view it online.

The full DVD is for sale at www.preacherssons.com.

Reed says she made the film specifically for middle America, however, not just for the LGBT community. She is hoping for investors to fund further distribution and showings. If you know of (or are) an angel investor, please contact her at preacherssons@gmail.com.

On a related note, President Barack Obama, in his proclamation of November as National Adoption Month, said: “By continually opening up the doors to adoption, and supporting full equality in adoption laws for all American families [my emphasis], we allow more children to find the permanent homes they yearn for and deserve.”

Preacher’s Sons underscores why we have to hold him to this.

After the jump, a trailer for the In the Life presentation of the film:

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 88

I’m vlogging solo this week since Helen is away on business, so I’ve kept it short and sweet. I talk about seeing “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” with our son and reading the first book with him. I also discuss Scholastic’s request that an author change the lesbian moms of a character into a mom and a dad, the reaction from around the Internet, and the company’s response. (Regular readers will know I’ve covered the Scholastic issue extensively on the blog here already; I wanted to get the word out to the vlog-only audience as well.)

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.

Ellen’s Ideas for Kids’ Halloween Costumes

Enough of the serious political posts. We’ll have enough of that next week for the election. Here are Ellen’s ideas for kids’ Halloween costumes:

After the jump, The Onion’s video on “How To Find A Masculine Halloween Costume For Your Effeminate Son”: Read the rest of this post »