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Young adults with lesbian moms and male donors are generally happy with their relationships with the donors, a new study has found. Most do not view their donors as dads, but some still have a growing interest in seeing them more often than when they were younger.
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Second Book Giveaway: “What Makes a Baby”
Congratulations to Stacy, who won a copy of What Makes a Baby earlier this week. Here’s a second chance to win Cory Silverberg’s picture book that explains human reproduction in a way that works for all families.
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Boy with Two Moms Stands Up Against Bullies
Eleven-year-old Caine was physically and verbally bullied because he has long hair and two moms. He spoke out to his school superintendent and board about it, citing the support of his family, and asking them what they intend to do “to ensure we all feel safe in your schools.”
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One of the most frequent questions I get from readers is “Do you know of any children’s books about reproduction that work for my family?” Now, no matter how you created your family, and no matter what your gender identity, I’m happy to say the answer is “Yes.” And I’m giving away signed copies. What [...]
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Happy Motherz Day
The New Yorker’s terrific cover this week shows two moms reading a card while their children peek from the next room. Artist Chris Ware explained his thinking behind the image in a blog post titled “Happy Mothers’ Day.” That should come as no surprise; the magazine ran a cartoon in 2011 in which a girl with two mothers explains to her teacher how she punctuates the holiday. But as I pointed out then, “Mothers’ Day” doesn’t necessarily reflect all lesbian moms.
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LGBT Parenting Roundup
Here are some of the stories I haven’t posted about separately—and they’re all happy ones this week, so enjoy!
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In honor of Mothers’ Day, Freedom to Marry has asked 12 two-mom families to talk about how they are celebrating the holiday, what being a mother means to them, and what marriage means to their family (whether or not they are currently married). There are couples with infants (one only a month old!), and ones [...]
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The Best Parental Advice You’ll Hear All Week
The best parental advice I’ve heard this week is not LGBT specific, but still speaks directly to who I am as a lesbian mom, a self-proclaimed nerd, and the mother of one. An attendee at the recent Calgary Comic Expo asked actor, writer, and dad Wil Wheaton (of Star Trek:TNG fame) to give some advice to her infant daughter (to be recorded for later viewing) on “Why it’s awesome to be a nerd.” Wheaton’s response is empowering and inspiring, not only for nerds, but for any of us who have ever felt like our interests—and our loves—were outside the mainstream. Share this one with your kids.
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Reflections on 20 Years of Marriage
(I mentioned my 20th anniversary here a few weeks ago. Here are my further thoughts on the milestone, from my Mombian newspaper column.)
My spouse Helen and I recently celebrated our 20th anniversary. Only about six of those years have been as legal spouses—but that just gives us a chance to celebrate both our real anniversary and our Massachusetts “Massiversary” several months from now. (Twice the cake is always a good thing, I say.) Hitting the 20-year milestone, however, has made me reflect on some of the things I’ve learned about marriage in that time, and some of the things I never expected when we started out.
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Good News or Bad News for Children of Same-Sex Parents Applying for Financial Aid?
There was good news and bad news yesterday for same-sex parents of children in or soon-to-be in college: Starting with the 2014-2015 federal student aid form, the U.S. Department of Education will ask for information about a dependent student’s legal parents regardless of the parents’ marital status or gender, as long as the parents live together. That’s good news, in that it will be the first time the form reflects the actualities of same-sex parents’ families (and those of unmarried, opposite-sex parents). It’s bad news, in that some students may receive less aid now that both parents’ contributions will be recognized—or will they?
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Lesbian/Bi Women in Stepparent Households Wanted for Study
Are you a woman raising a child/children in a same-sex relationship where one of you had the child(ren) in a previous opposite-sex relationship and the other is a stepparent? Katie Acosta, an assistant professor of sociology at Tulane University, wants you to take part in her new study of same-sex stepparents.
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Supporting Our Children’s Gender Expression: Two Good Reads
Two thoughtful pieces this week reflect on supporting our children’s gender expression, and both are worth a read.
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To End the Silence
Today marks the 16th annual Day of Silence, an event sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), where students from middle school to college take some form of a vow of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. But a federal bill reintroduced yesterday that would prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination, harassment, bullying, and violence in public schools faces a tough road ahead.
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The Most Powerful Lesbian Moms in America 2013
Out magazine just published its seventh annual “Power List” of the most powerful gay people in America, which means it’s time for my seventh annual list of The Most Powerful Lesbian Moms in America—as seen, I’m thrilled to say, in the New York Times.
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Robert Edwards, one of the pioneers of in vitro fertilization—the procedure to which my spouse Helen and I owe our child—has died at the age of 87. I learned of his death via a lovely eulogic article by Elizabeth Comeau, the first “test-tube baby” born in the United States (in 1981). (Louise Brown of the U.K. was the first in the world, born in 1978.)
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LGBT Parenting Roundup
Here’s what’s been going on in the past week or so while we (or at least I) have had our NCAA women’s basketball brackets totally upset:
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Help Improve Programs for LGBTQ Families
Our Family Coalition, the San Francisco Bay Area organization for LGBTQ families, is looking to improve their already great programming and advocacy initiatives. They’re asking people to take a short survey (with raffle prizes!) to help them determine the direction of their programs. The survey seems to make the most sense for folks in the Bay [...]
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“Science Led to Gay Families”? Not Exactly
An article for CNN yesterday ran the headline “Science led to gay families: Law should follow.” I’m the last person to argue that our families shouldn’t have equal legal rights—but the headline is overstating science’s role and inadvertently perpetuating a dangerous myth about same-sex parents. The article’s author, Debora L. Spar, is president of Barnard [...]
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10 Non-Lesbian Things on My Mind
I’m sometimes afraid that in writing this blog, I give the impression that LGBT issues are all I think about. To counter that, here are 10 things on my mind that have nothing to do with being a lesbian.
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LGBT Parenting Roundup: SCOTUS Overload Edition
I’m posting a second roundup this week because of the many great parenting-related pieces after the marriage equality hearings at the U.S. Supreme Court. This should get you through the weekend!
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LGBT Parenting Roundup: SCOTUS Edition
Today’s the day the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the first of two cases that could spell the beginning of the end for marriage inequality in our country. Here are some of the stories that show the impact the Court’s ruling could have on same-sex couples and their children—and the impact our families could have on the ruling.
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Hillary Clinton Says Parenthood Influenced Her Support for Marriage Equality
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton finally announced her support for marriage equality yesterday in a video for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). She not only cited her experience fighting for LGBT rights around the world, but also commented, “Like so many others, my personal views have been shaped over time, by people I have known and loved” —including her daughter, Chelsea.
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Post of the Week: “My Favorite Way to Wake Up”
We often talk about “unconditional love” when it comes to our children. Most often, I think, we use it to describe our feelings as parents towards them. At Puffer and the Baby Fish, however, Pufferfish recently wrote about “My Favorite Way to Wake Up,” which illustrates what unconditional love can look like when it comes from a child. If it doesn’t bring a smile to your face, check your pulse.
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LGBT Parenting Roundup
This week’s roundup includes two family profiles, including one of the first lesbian in the U.K. to use assisted insemination, a couple of twisty legal issues, a lovely school story, and more.
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Six Million Kids and Adults in U.S. Have LGBT Parent
As many as six million adults and children in the U.S have an LGBT parent, according to a new study, with an estimated three million LGBT Americans having had a child at some point in their lives.
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