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LGBT Resources for National Adoption Month
November is National Adoption Month. It seems a particularly good time to celebrate, since Florida has recently overturned its ban on adoption by gay men and lesbians. Here, then, are some resources for LGBT adoptive parents and prospective parents.
“Off and Running” with Film About Adopted Teen of Lesbian Moms
PBS’ POV (Point of View) show is streaming three films about adoption through December 7—including Nicole Opper’s documentary Off and Running, which tells the story of Avery, an African American teen who had been adopted as an infant by two Jewish lesbians. She also has two adopted brothers, one who is black and Puerto Rican, and [...]
Happy National Adoption Month!
November is National Adoption Month, so I’ll be posting a bunch of adoption-related resources over the next few weeks. I’ll start with the HRC National Adoption Month page, which has links to information for both prospective parents and child welfare professionals, along with news and event listings. And because a Florida circuit court recently overturned [...]
One Parent, Two Parents, Three Parents, Four . . .
Yesterday’s Boston Globe published a great article by Drake Bennett titled “Johnny has two mommies – and four dads,” asking, “As complex families proliferate, the law considers: Can a child have more than two parents?” Good question, and one I’ve written about a few times before. In particular, Bennett looks at lesbian couples who want [...]
Florida Ban on Adoption by Lesbians and Gay Men Is No More
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum announced today that he would not appeal a ruling that last month struck down the state’s ban on adoption by gay men and lesbians. I’ll have more details in another piece; for the moment I’ll refer you back to the news piece I did for Keen News Service a couple [...]
In Vitro Fertilization: A Nobel Cause
The Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has gone this year to biologist Robert G. Edwards, who developed the procedure of in vitro fertilization. Since Helen and I created our family this way, I owe him a debt of thanks.
Known Donors: Cautions and Questions
A recent case and some news from Canada have gotten me thinking about known donors. A Santa Monica, Calif. court ruled in the case of Daniel C. vs. Karen B. that Daniel, a known sperm donor whom Karen had found on Craigslist, had no rights to the child she conceived. The two had signed a [...]
Cat Cora on Cover of Working Mother
Funny how things happen. Just days after my family and I ate at Cat Cora’s new restaurant in Disney World, I find out (thanks, Debbie!) that she’s on the cover of the current issue of Working Mother. While it’s just her and one of her sons on the cover, there’s a nice picture of her, [...]
Choosing Children Showcases Pioneering Lesbian Families
(Originally published in Bay Windows, August 30, 2010.) With Eric Stonestreet winning an Emmy Sunday for his portrayal of a gay dad in ABC’s Modern Family, and the summer movie about two lesbian moms, The Kids Are All Right, garnering early Oscar buzz, it is easy to forget what things were like just 25 years [...]
New Adoption Study: Parent’s Orientation to Kids More Important than Sexual Orientation
From the “not that those of us here needed proof, but it’s good to have” files, a new study from the University of Virginia has found that the adoptive children of same-sex parents were on average “developing in typical ways.” “We found that children adopted by lesbian and gay couples are thriving,” said U.Va. psychology [...]
Midwife Advice Needed
A reader left this as a comment, and I thought I’d give it more visibility to see if any of you can help. She’s searching for an LGBT-friendly midwife in East Texas. If you know of any resources or advice for her, please leave a comment! My partner and I are planning on starting a [...]
New Guide Offers Insights for Donor-Conceived Children
(Originally published as my Mombian newspaper column.) A long-running study of lesbian families created through donor insemination made headlines June 7 when it published new results showing that teens from these families tend to do better than their peers socially and academically. While these findings from the National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study are positive, they [...]
What Did You Think of Gary and Tony?
Did any of you watch Gary and Tony Have a Baby, the story of two gay men starting a family, last night on CNN? What did you think? There have been a variety of opinions about the show (even leaving aside the far-right nonsense)—but if you haven’t read them yet, I hope you’ll leave a comment [...]
Gary and Tony Have a Study Guide: What Do You Think?
CNN’s hour-long profile of two gay dads, Gary and Tony Have a Baby, airs Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET. In preparation, CNN has put together a study guide of “Before-Viewing Discussion Questions,” aimed at students in grade 11 and up. They include: “How would you define the traditional American family? Can you think of [...]
High Noon Entertainment, the company behind cable TV hits Cake Boss, Cool Tools, House Hunters, and more, is seeking LGBT families in the process of adoption or creating a family through surrogacy, as well as birthmothers. Below is the e-mail I received from casting director Michelle Chihara: I’m a casting director with High Noon Entertainment [...]
Prop 8 Defense Attorney: Same-Sex Couples with Kids Are Responsible By Definition
Yes, that’s right. During closing arguments for the Prop 8 trial in California, defense attorney Charles Cooper said: I really think the state’s main concern or certainly among the state’s main concerns in regulating marriage, in seeking to channel naturally procreative sexual conduct into stable and enduring unions is to minimize what I would call [...]
Are You Taking Your Kids to Pride?
Continuing our weekly (roughly) comment threads on various parenting topics, let’s go with a seasonal one: Are you taking your kids to a Pride parade this year (or have you in the past)? Why or why not? My own answer: We didn’t go to the Boston one this year, but for rather practical reasons. It [...]
Every Sunday, the Boston Globe publishes “Sunday’s Child,” a column featuring a child or siblings who need an adoptive family. This week, the column (not yet online) notes that the child, “would do well with a single mother or a two-parent family (mom and dad or two moms) in which she is the only or [...]
An Invitation, A Fridge, and a Known Donor
Many of you have participated in my recent giveaways of And Baby Makes More and the wonderful discussions they have generated. Co-editor Susan Goldberg has asked me to invite readers to the official book launch tomorrow in New York. Hope some of you can make it. (I won’t be able to, unfortunately, being far away [...]
LGBT Parenting Roundup
Personal Matters Sex and the City actor and lesbian mom Cynthia Nixon is the first “celebrity expert” at 365gay.com, where she tackles the question “I think my 7-year-old is gay and kids are starting to tease him. How do I help him or what should I do?” We Are Goodkin profiles Kimbo Prichard and Natasha [...]
Second Giveaway: And Baby Makes More
Here’s the second of three giveaways of And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents, and Our Unexpected Families. (My full review, which I wrote before I was contacted about a giveaway, is here.) For today’s drawing, I’ll pick the winner randomly from all of the people who leave a comment on this post with [...]
Thoughts on Donors
As promised, here are more quotes from And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents, and Our Unexpected Families. If you didn’t take part in last week’s giveaway of the book, never fear—I’ll be giving away another one this Wednesday, so stop back. (And if you haven’t read the comment thread from the last contest, [...]
We Have a Winner: First And Baby Makes More Giveaway
Congratulations to Labelsareforjars, winner of the first And Baby Makes More giveaway. If you didn’t win, please stop by any of the next two Wednesdays, as I will be giving away two more copies. Let me also say: Wow, the comment thread! Contest or no, it’s worth a read to learn about the many ways [...]
Book Giveaway: And Baby Makes More
Yes, that’s right! I’m going to be giving away not one, but three copies of And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents, and Our Unexpected Families, a terrific collection of essays that belongs on every LGBT parent’s bookshelf. (My full review, which I wrote before I was contacted about a giveaway, is here.) I’ll [...]
And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents, and Our Unexpected Families is a terrific collection of essays that belongs on every LGBT parent’s bookshelf, even if you did not use a known donor. I wrote about it last year when it first came out in Canada, and I’m pleased to say it has now [...]
