Weekly Political Roundup

• National Guard Lt. Dan Choi and former Army Capt. Jim Pietrangelo were arrested Thursday after chaining themselves to the White House fence to protest Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). Pietrangelo was discharged under DADT in 2004, and Choi is in the process of being discharged under it now. Also arrested was activist Robin McGehee of GetEqual.org, who helped Choi and Pietrangelo with their protest.
• Earlier in the day, the Senate Armed Services Committee held another hearing to discuss DADT. Former NATO commander John J. Sheehan asserted that the presence of gay troops was one reason the Dutch army had been unable to defend Srebrenica during the Bosnia war, a charge denied by the Dutch ambassador.
• Will the studies launched by Defense Secretary Robert Gates helped justify a repeal of DADT, or are they just a way to stall? Lisa Keen investigates.
• Activists held sit-ins at the Washington, D.C., and San Francisco offices of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, demanding that she bring a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to the floor by the end of the month. Ten were arrested, fined, and released. Read the rest of this post »

LGBT Parenting Roundup

• First, something not specific to parenting but that affects LGBT families with and without children: The Bilerico Project and many other blogs are holding a blogswarm today asking readers to contact Speaker Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-4965 and request that she move the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to a floor vote. Further details are here.
• One Florida legislator in the House and one in the Senate introduced legislation to overturn the state’s ban on adoption by gay men and lesbians. The House legislation was added as an amendment to a bill that would make it illegal for adoption agencies to ask prospective parents about firearms in the household. The amendment was then withdrawn as being irrelevant to the main bill. The measure in the Senate was withdrawn as well. The next day, Rep. Mary Brandenburg (D-West Palm Beach) filed another bill to remove the ban.
• The Berkeley Unified School District in California adopted the Welcoming Schools Guide, developed by the HRC Foundation Family Project, as official district curriculum. Here’s a video of the Guide being introduced at at school board meeting; here’s my coverage from a few years ago when the Guide was first launched as a pilot program. LesbianDad, who lives in the district, offers her own insights on this development. It’s a great curriculum, and a great step for creating a welcoming environment for all children.
• Not new news, except that it just came to my attention: lesbian mom Nickie Antonio is running for state rep. in Ohio’s District 13.
• I mentioned last week the bill that has passed the Arizona House, giving married couples preference over unmarried ones in the adoption of children. Michael Jones at Change.org has more on the legislators behind this thinly veiled anti-gay law.
• In another update from earlier news, the couple whose child was kicked out of Catholic preschool because they are lesbians have given a statement to the press. Worth a read.
• If you’re doing a second-parent adoption, be sure to read Nancy Polikoff’s post, “Understanding the Adoption Tax Credit for Second-Parent Adoptions.”

Census Form Ignores Non-Biological, Non-Adoptive Parents

I posted yesterday about the Census, and in replying to a comment I was reminded of a conversation we had here about a year ago regarding the Census and non-biological parents. I’m dusting it off, incorporating some of the comments, and posting it again, since those of us in the U.S. are receiving our Census forms this week.

If you’re a non-biological, non-adoptive parent, please let us know in the comments how you’re completing the form!

Let’s say you’re a couple with kids. One of you is a biological parent and the other is non-biological. Imagine you live in a place where a non-biological parent cannot do a second-parent adoption, or in a place that allows a non-biological parent to go on the child’s birth certificate without needing an adoption. Doing an adoption as well is a good idea for when you travel, but let’s say you haven’t done this yet—or have, but don’t consider yourself an “adoptive” parent to the child you planned with your partner from the start.

The Census questions ask about the first person in the household. For each additional person, they ask, “How is this person related to Person 1? Mark ONE box.” How would you mark this if you are the non-biological parent, answering the question about your child: Read the rest of this post »

Making Sense of the Census

I received my U.S. Census form yesterday, and assume many of you did as well. I encourage you all to fill them out and return them promptly.

Oh, but why, you ask, when we still have our tax forms, kids’ summer camp registrations, and field trip permission forms to complete? Read the rest of this post »

Prop 8 and Playdates

(I wrote this for my Mombian newspaper column back in January, but since both sides in the Prop 8 trial have recently filed their final briefs and Judge Vaughn Walker may soon schedule closing arguments, I thought it was worth posting here now. )

I agree with Robin Wirthlin.

The Massachusetts Mormon mother and I might not seem to have a lot in common. She and her husband were featured in a 2008 video for California’s “Yes On 8” campaign in which she explains that she was shocked when her son told her his second-grade class had read the picture book King & King, about a prince who marries another prince.

She was so shocked, in fact, that she and her husband sued the school district, saying that the school’s attempt to “indoctrinate” their children violated their constitutional rights as parents. They did not win their case, despite an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court (which the court refused to hear).

Still, they did not hesitate to make a video for Yes On 8 (used later by Stand for Marriage Maine) in which they say that their second-grader was too young “to learn about homosexuality.”

I’ve been thinking of the video because the defense in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger Prop 8 trial played it for the court last week. They were attempting to get Yale professor George Chauncey to admit that parents should be able to exempt their children from learning in school about same-sex marriage. Chauncey, to his credit, stated that married same-sex couples are a fact of life in Massachusetts. If parents don’t want their kids to hear about that in public school, he said, they should put them in private school.

How, then, could I possibly agree with Robin Wirthlin? Read the rest of this post »

Weekly Political Roundup

• U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill to amend the Fair Housing Act to ban housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• The commissioners of Kissimmee, Florida voted to allow city employees to cover their unmarried domestic partners under the city’s health and dental insurance plan.
• The Oklahoma state Senate approved an amendment to opt out of federal hate crimes protections for LGBT people. The measure now heads to the House for consideration. (Oklahoma, you may recall, had a law prohibiting the state from recognizing adoptions by same-sex couples from other states and countries, until a federal judge struck it down in 2006.) Read the rest of this post »

LGBT Parenting Roundup

Schools and Youth

• The ACLU and and Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition are advocating on behalf of a Mississippi high school student who wants to go to the prom with her girlfriend. School officials have said she may not arrive with her girlfriend or wear a tux, and must leave if other students become “uncomfortable.”
• A Catholic preschool in Boulder, Colorado has told a lesbian couple their child cannot return to the school next year because their sexual orientation is against Catholic teaching and school policy.
• The Washington State senate passed an LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying bill. It now goes to Gov. Christine Gregoire, who has said she will sign it. Read the rest of this post »

Florida “Family-Friendly” Film Tax Credit Would Exclude Movies with Gay Families

Watching the Oscars tonight? Here’s some filmmaking news that will have you seething:

Florida lawmakers are considering an incentive package to attract film and entertainment jobs to the state.  Productions with “nontraditional family values,” however, would be ineligible.  State Rep. Stephen Precourt (R-Orlando), who introduced the bill, said that films depicting gay families should not get the tax credit, reports the Palm Beach Post.

Gov. Charlie Crist agreed, defining “traditional” families as those with a married man and woman. (Someone should tell him that according to the 2000 U.S. Census, less than 25% of all families in the U.S. consist of a married, opposite-sex couple living with their own (biological or adopted) children.)

The bill (HB 697) was approved unanimously last week in the House Economic Development Policy Committee, and is apparently a priority for Republicans as part of their promise to create jobs.

Not everyone who wants to limit the tax credit to “family-friendly” films agrees with Precourt about the definition of family values. Some say that limiting the tax credit to “G-rated” films is enough. It is also unclear whether the language about “nontraditional family values” would make it through the state Senate version of the bill. Still, this type of thing sets my teeth on edge.

After the jump, the relevant section of the legislation. “Nontraditional family values” are lumped in with smoking, sex, nudity, gratuitous violence, and vulgar or profane language. There go my hopes of selling a screenplay that’s a sort of Heather Has Two Mommies meets Pulp Fiction. Read the rest of this post »

Weekly Political Roundup

First, an opportunity: The Bilerico Project and PFLAG have partnered to provide funding for unemployed LGBT people to go to Washington, D.C. on March 16 and lobby on behalf of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Details are here.

• Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and 11 Democratic cosponsors introduced a bill to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee held hearings on the policy Wednesday.
• Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) called for an end to the ban on blood donation by gay men.
• An unknown senator or senators have put a hold on the nomination of lesbian law professor Chai Feldblum to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Read the rest of this post »

Happy Marriage Equality, D.C.!

A big congratulations to the same-sex couples in Washington, D.C., who can apply for marriage licenses starting today, with ceremonies to begin March 9. (Here’s how, if you want to.)

The D.C. Marriage Bureau says it is preparing for a “flood” of couples. Several couples have volunteered to be media spokespeople, and because a few of them have children, I want to highlight them here. They represent only a few of the many families who will be celebrating in the coming days, but deserve our thanks for being willing to take on extra responsibilities during what would be a stressful day under any circumstances.

Information below provided by the Campaign for All DC Families.

Angelisa Young and Sinjolya Townsend

Angelisa and Sinjolya, both African-American females, will be married at HRC Equality Forum on March 9th in the presence of family and friends. Angelisa (age 47) and Sinjolya (age 41) have been together for 13 years and have two children ages 21 and 25. They both work for DC government and are long-time residents of the District.

Reginald (Reggie) Stanley and Rocky Galloway

Reggie and Rocky, both African-American males, are long time residents of the district. They are both 50 years old and have two children, Malena and Zoe Stanley-Galloway, that are each 15 months old. They will be married at HRC Equality Forum on March 9th. Participating in the ceremony will be their two children, Jim Cullion (the best man) and Cherrie McCoy (the best woman).

Rick A. Imirowicz and Terrance Heath

Rick Imirowicz, a forty-three-year old Caucasian male, will be marrying Terrance Heath, a forty-one-year old African-American male. Rick is a doctor and practices Catholicism, while Terrance practices Buddhism. They are long-time District residents, have been together for 10 years and have two children.

[Terrance is a long-time blogger. I had the pleasure of giving a blogging workshop with him on an R Family cruise a few years back. Go visit him over at Republic of T and congratulate him and his family. —DR]