Education – Mombian

Think Kids Don’t Understand Marriage Equality? Think Again

November 5, 2013 • No comments

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Think kids will be “confused” or harmed by learning that same-sex couples can marry? Think again. This delightful video from The Fine Bros “Kids React” series shows children ages 5 to 13 responding to viral videos of marriage proposals of same-sex couples — and clearly, most of them are not only okay with it, but excited for the couples. They give me hope for the future.

In Child Development, Education, Parenting

4 Things LGBT Parents Can Do to Prepare Our Children for the School Year

September 4, 2013 • No comments

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My son starts fifth grade today, making me one of the millions of LGBT parents seeing our kids off to school this time of year. For many of us, the new school year brings with it once again the question of how accepting and inclusive our children’s teachers and classmates will be. Here are four things we can do to prepare our children and ourselves for the coming year.

Back-to-School LGBT Parents Poll

August 13, 2013 • 1 comment

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School days are just around the corner for many of our kids. What are your top concerns going into this new year? Or is back-to-school time all good? Feel free to expand on your thoughts further in the comments.

In Education, Polls

Back-to-School Resources for LGBT Parents

August 12, 2013 • No comments

Back-to-school time is here, which means it’s time for my annual back-to-school resource post, a tradition I first started in 2006, before my own son was even in school. He’s grown and changed, and so has this list. I hope it remains useful, whether your children are just entering school, starting a new school, or encountering new issues along their educational journey.

Boy with Two Moms Stands Up Against Bullies

May 16, 2013 • No comments

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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.”

Good News or Bad News for Children of Same-Sex Parents Applying for Financial Aid?

April 30, 2013 • 4 comments

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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?

In Education, Money and Finance

To End the Silence

April 19, 2013 • No comments

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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.

In Education, Health and Safety, Politics and Law

Happy No Name-Calling Week!

January 21, 2013 • No comments

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Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day—but it also kicks off No Name-Calling Week, “an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities.”

In Education, Health and Safety

Oxford Union Members Glad to Have Gay Parents

January 18, 2013 • No comments

Photo credit: Barker Evans

The Oxford Union Society, the venerable debating society whose membership comes mostly from Oxford University, held a debate yesterday on the motion, “This house would be glad to have gay parents.” The motion passed, 345 to 21—but not without controversy. Those arguing in favor of the motion were Benjamin Cohen, founder of PinkNews.co.uk and Out4Marriage, Richard Fairbass, […]

In Education, Politics and Law

Post of the Week: “Equality In Schools?” by a Teacher and Lesbian Mom-to-Be

January 17, 2013 • No comments

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I often write about schools and education, but mostly from the perspective of parents or students. Debbie of A Day Is Short is a teacher, however, and wrote yesterday of her experience coming out to her third-grade class, in the context of her pregnancy and impending parenthood. It’s a raw, emotional post about the struggle of trying to be honest with her students while facing the fear of homophobia.

In Education, Post of the Week

We Must Not Forget: A Guest Post from My Mom

January 3, 2013 • No comments

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Yesterday, I posted my column about the December 14th school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Today, I’m honored to bring you a guest post from my own mother, who had her own thoughts and offered to share them here. Some of our thoughts (not surprisingly) overlap, but she adds her own perspective as a mental health professional.

Thanks, Mom!

In Education, Health and Safety

In the Wake of Tragedy

January 2, 2013 • No comments

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(I wrote this for my newspaper column the day of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. I hope 2013 is the year we as a country begin to take serious steps to ensure such tragedies never happen again.)

This was going to be a very different column. Then 20 children died in Connecticut.

In Education, Health and Safety

Teens of Lesbian Moms Are Good Students and Happy: Study

November 2, 2012 • No comments

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The latest results from the National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study (NLLFS), the longest-running and largest study of American lesbian families, show that almost all of the teens in the NLLFS are academically successful and say they are happy with their lives. That’s great news—but brings with it one matter for concern.

In Child Development, Education

Online STEM Videos for Kids

October 23, 2012 • No comments

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Wait. . . . Isn’t this a blog about LGBT parenting? Yes, but sometimes parenting is just parenting—and with a son interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects, this particular LGBT parent spends a lot of time looking for STEM resources. Herewith, some of the sites we’ve been enjoying lately as sources for STEM videos.

LGBT Students Still Feel Unsafe, but Some Things Are Getting Better

September 10, 2012 • 2 comments

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The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) on Wednesday released the latest version of its biennial National School Climate Survey. The new survey, conducted in 2011, found that the majority of LGBT students still face harassment and feel unsafe at school—but for the first time since the survey began in 1999, it found “a significant decrease in victimization based on sexual orientation” and an increase in “levels of student access to LGBT-related school resources and support.”

Free Science iPad Apps for Kids

August 31, 2012 • 1 comment

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My son goes back to school next week, and so I have education on the brain. While part of me is thinking about LGBT-specific back-to-school issues, most of me is simply thinking about the more general issues of school time. Among other things, I want my science-loving nine-year-old son to continue enjoying the subject—which, for my engineer spouse and myself, means supplementing his formal education with fun experiments and activities at home. Ever since I bought an iPad a few months ago, I’ve been on the hunt for ways to put it towards that goal (even if my son also aims for the goal of seeing how many enemies he can defeat in the Lego Ninjago app).

Back-to-School Resources for LGBT Parents

August 24, 2012 • 2 comments

Photo credit: H. Michael Miley

Back-to-school time is here, which means it’s time for my annual back-to-school resource post, a tradition I first started way back in 2006. My own son wasn’t even in school then. He’s grown and changed, and so has this list. I originally wrote a version of the below as part of one of my newspaper columns last year. I’ve revised it somewhat and hope it remains useful, whether your children are just entering school, starting a new school, or encountering new issues along their educational journey.

What’s On Your Mind About Back-to-School Time?

August 23, 2012 • No comments

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It’s back-to-school time, so I thought I’d once again put up a poll to see what’s on our minds this time of year. Please share any further thoughts in the comments.

In Education, Polls

Sally Ride Passes On, and Comes Out

July 24, 2012 • No comments

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She broke barriers, sonic and otherwise, when she flew into orbit as the first American woman in space. She broke another when she died of pancreatic cancer yesterday, at age 61, and her family let it be known that “Dr. Ride is survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy.”

Adrienne Rich: The Passing of a Lesbian Icon

March 28, 2012 • No comments

Adrienne Rich was a mother, a lesbian, and one of our country’s foremost poets and writers. Today comes the news that she has died at the age of 82. Below is one of my favorite quotes from her works, about invisibility and diversity.

In Books for Kids, Books for Moms, Education

ABC, LGBT: Why Elementary Schools Must Teach About LGBT Families

March 26, 2012 • 2 comments

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Only two out of ten elementary school students have learned about same-sex-headed families, according to a new study commissioned by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Combine this with the fact that same-sex families with children live in 96 percent of counties in the United States, and we clearly have a failure to teach children about the world and people around them.

History Is Written By the Victors: Gay Memorabilia at the Smithsonian

February 21, 2012 • 1 comment

In the National Museum of American History

I spent President’s Day weekend with my family in a most appropriate place: Washington, D.C. I’m still catching up on laundry and such, so for today, please enjoy an image from our visit to the National Museum of American History. The museum, part of the Smithsonian, is now the repository for the papers and materials of LGBT equality pioneer Frank Kameny, as explained in a museum blog post last October.

In Education, Politics and Law

Washington Post Showcases Black Lesbian Families

February 8, 2012 • 2 comments

Black LGBT families are an unfortunate rarity in the media, but the Washington Post this week showcased not one, but two, black lesbian couples with kids. Taken together, the stories show that just maybe, we are moving towards several different types of acceptance in this country.

In Education, Extended Families, Family Profiles

Happy Gay-Straight Alliance Day!

January 25, 2012 • No comments

Today marks the first-ever National Gay-Straight Alliance Day, a project of the Iowa Pride Network in partnership with the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). In honor of the occasion, I’ll point out my coverage a few years ago of the 20th anniversary celebration of the GSA at Phillips Academy, which has the second-oldest GSA in […]

In Education, Holidays

This Week Only: Free Streaming of Anti-Bullying Film

January 25, 2012 • No comments

In honor of No Name-Calling Week, educational film company Groundspark is offering free streaming of its anti-bullying and anti-name-calling film Let’s Get Real. Aimed at students in grades five through nine, it is notable for not preaching at kids, but rather letting them speak in their own voices about race, sexual orientation (real and perceived), learning […]

In Education, Health and Safety

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