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The Matrilineal Principle, Jewish Identity, and Non-bio Moms — Plus a Giveaway
Susan Goldberg, aka Mama Non Grata, has just published a terrific article, ”Que(e)rying the matrilineal principle,” in Lilith magazine, the Jewish feminist powerhouse. Susan questions what it means to be “born Jewish” when Jewish identity is traditionally passed on through the mother–and her sons are only biologically connected to her non-Jewish spouse.
Showtime’s “House of Lies” Off on the Right Foot with Gender Variant Child
A few days ago, I asked if Showtime’s new House of Lies series, premiering tonight at 10p.m. ET, would give a positive and unoffensive portrayal of the gender variant child of the lead character. Early indications are that they have done so. Diane Anderson-Minshall at the Advocate says, “For all the reasons other shows fail [...]
National Association of Mothers’ Centers Hosts Webinar on LGBT Children and Youth
The National Association of Mothers’ Centers (NAMC), “a collective voice for mothers and parents in the United States,” is hosting a Webinar on “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Navigating the Challenges for Parents, Teachers and Others,” January 24, from 1-2 p.m. ET. Pete Carney, LMSW Director of the Pride for Youth program at the Long [...]
Will Showtime’s “House of Lies” Tell the Truth About Gender Variant Kids?
There’s a new LGBTQ character coming to television that I haven’t seen much coverage of yet—and because the character is a gender-variant child, I’ll take up the cause of spreading some awareness here at this parenting blog. Showtime’s new comedy series, House of Lies, which starts this Sunday, stars Don Cheadle as a “charming, fast [...]
“Girls” Toys and “Boys” Toys: Some Progress and Some Cautions
The winter holidays always seem to highlight that the world tends to divide toys into “girls” and “boys” varieties. Most of us here, I think, would agree that no one should be forced into particular types of play based on real or perceived gender. Over at Skepchick, Natalie Reed has a great article on “Guyliner, Murses, [...]
Lesbian Moms: Building Character Since 1979
Last Thursday, I asked, “Does having lesbian moms—or other LGBT parents—affect one’s character?” Lawyer Nancy Polikoff left a comment that I thought was worth promoting up into a post. She mentioned that in the 1979 lawsuit M.P. v. S.P., an appeals court reversed a lower court ruling that had removed custody of children from their [...]
Does Having Lesbian Moms Affect One’s Character?
Does having lesbian moms—or other LGBT parents—affect one’s character? Opinions are mixed, but not just between left and right. Iowa college student Zach Wahls, in his twice-viral video, famously said, “The sexual orientation of my parents has had zero impact on the content of my character.” And a University of Virginia study last year concluded what many [...]
TV Alert: Transgender Children on Anderson
Anderson Cooper covers the topic of transgender children in his new daytime talk show today. (Find airing times in your area.) Here are details about the show and two of its featured guests, via a press release: On Wednesday, November 16, Anderson Cooper’s new daytime talk show, Anderson, will focus on transgender children – children [...]
Missouri Teen of Lesbian Moms Profiled
The video below is a mostly positive profile of a teen with lesbian moms — especially coming from a Fox News affiliate in Kansas City, Missouri, a network and a state not known for their LGBT friendliness. The family shines, especially 16-year-old Samantha. I have two criticisms, though. First, the coverage focuses too much on [...]
Are Boys in Princess Dresses the Scariest Thing on Halloween?
Halloween is almost upon us, the holiday that underscores like no other that society has certain gender expectations for boys and girls. Girls, by and large, are princesses; boys tend towards the violent as superheroes, Star Wars characters, soldiers, or pirates. But each year, it seems, at least one family makes the news because their child wants to defy those boundaries.
What Bathroom Signs Tell Us About Sex and Gender
What can bathroom signs tell us about gender, sex, and society? Plenty, according to this great article by Marissa at The Society Pages, a multidisciplinary social science project organized by the University of Minnesota’s sociology department. Marissa has gathered an extensive, thought-provoking, and occasionally hilarious collection of bathroom signs from around the world. (A few [...]
Coming Out As an LGBT Parent
It’s National Coming Out Day once again, so I hope you’re having a happy day no matter where you are in your coming out journey. Here’s an updated version of a piece that sums up a lot of my thoughts on coming out as an LGBT parent. It has become something of a truism in [...]
A Bit of Lesbian Mom History
I posted this newspaper column of mine last year, but I think it bears repeating as part of LGBT History Month. Enjoy this look back at how lesbian moms have been a central part of the LGBT rights movement since the beginning—while simultaneously waging some intensely personal battles to maintain contact with their children.
Steve Jobs, Pancreatic Cancer, and Adoption
Like Steve Jobs, my father passed away recently because of complications after pancreatic cancer. If you want to learn more about this disease, I recommend checking out the Lustgarten Foundation, which is dedicated to its treatment, cure, and prevention. I’m also going to jump on the bandwagon and share the Steve Jobs video that is [...]
Role Models and Manly Things
I was recently asked by a mainstream journalist: “Are you worried about providing male role models for your son?”
I answered, as I always do to the question, “No.” It’s not that I don’t want him to have male role models; it’s just that I’m not worried about it. I think that very often, when the media asks that question, they are ignoring the realities not only of same-sex and single parents’ lives, but also of children’s lives in general.
(Originally published as my Mombian newspaper column.) The two eight-year-old girls said that meeting each other was like a dream come true. They both had similar interests—gymnastics, dance, singing, and songwriting—and similar styles in hair and clothing. Not only that, but for each of them, it was the first time they had met another child [...]
A Parent By Any Other Name
I’ve been delighted and fascinated by your great responses to yesterday’s unscientific survey on what our kids call us—so much so, that I’m going to encourage readers again to participate, if you haven’t already. (Please click the link to submit your answers to the spreadsheet; don’t just leave a comment.) So far, we’ve got lots [...]
What Do Your Kids Call You? An Unscientific Survey
One of the first questions that crosses prospective LGBT parents’ minds is “What will our kids call us?” And many of us also search for what to call donors, surrogates, birth parents and other similar figures in our children’s lives. So here’s a small way to share some of that information—just fill out the anonymous [...]
Coming Soon: Conference for Gender Non-Conforming Children, Youth, and Their Families
Gender Spectrum, an organization that provides “education, training and support to help create a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for all children and teens,” is hosting their annual Gender Spectrum Family Conference at the end of the month. I’ve never been, myself, but I’ve heard good things about it. (Please leave a comment if you’ve attended, [...]
Butches and Babies: Tumblr Love
There’s nothing I want to share with you more today than Butches & Babies, a delightful new Tumblr microblog site by Meaghan O’Malley. (Thanks to lesbian wonderland Autostraddle for the tip.) Meaghan brings together butch, “in all of its iterations,” and babies (“human”), saying that she’s “fascinated by the juxtaposition of a baby nestled in a butch’s [...]
Happy 15th Birthday, WNBA!
The WNBA is 15 years old today. I remember being at the first game in 1997. (For those doing the math: the league was founded in 1996, but play began in 1997.) That means some of the players were my son’s age (eight) or younger when the league began. Now I feel old. Former WNBA [...]
“Mr. Mom” and Musings on Parenting and Gender
Over at Viva la Feminista, Veronica has a great post about why she dislikes the term “Mr. Mom” and when someone asks her husband if he is “babysitting” the kids. She writes, “When he is caring for his daughter, he is her father, not a babysitter and certainly not a male version of me.” Amen [...]
Where Can You Find Pregnant Butch Clothing?
A reader wrote to me asking about “pregnant butch clothing”—maternity options for those who either identify as butch or at least dress a little less on the feminine side of things. My spouse Helen (who doesn’t identify as butch, but has that aesthetic) spent very little on “official” maternity wear. She bought one pair of [...]
Today Show Interviews Moms of Boys Who Dress Up as Girls
A few days ago, I mentioned the post over at Nerdy Apple Bottom about a mom’s support of her son when he wanted to dress up as Daphne from Scooby Doo for Halloween—and a few weeks ago, I posted about the mom who wrote My Princess Boy: A mom’s story about a young boy who [...]
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