A gentle reminder that it’s now less than a week until Blogging for LGBT Families Day. Full details are here; the short version is: blog in support of LGBT families on or before June 2, and send me the link.
I’m already starting to see some posts trickle in; I’ll start posting the links on June 2 as soon as I get them, so if you want your link to appear all day as people visit, get it in as early as possible.
Please also download a banner and promote the event on your site. The more people who participate, the more impact our voices will have.
Here are a few frequently asked questions:
Do I need to be LGBT? No, just supportive.
Do I need to have kids? What about my cat? Define “family” as you will.
What if I always write about my LGBT family? Great! Just do what you normally do, and send me the link. Or write a special post for the occasion if you want to, but don’t feel obligated.
What if I never write about LGBT issues? If you want to say something in support of LGBT families, then this event gives you an excuse. Feel free to tie it into your regular blog theme, e.g., if you write about kids’ literature, write about an LGBT-inclusive kids’ book.
What if I want to share a photo or video? That’s fine. Post them on your blog or a photo or video sharing site. If you use a sharing site, make sure to set them to be public. Then send me the link.
What do I do if I don’t have a blog? If you don’t have a blog, you may also leave a comment on the master Blogging for LGBT Families Day post I will put up on June 2. If you only post on Facebook or MySpace, you may add me, Dana Rudolph, as a friend to notify me of a post there. (Here’s my Facebook page and my MySpace page. If you do a search for my name, though, make sure to look for the event banner image, as there are multiple Dana Rudolphs.) If you do have a regular blog, I much prefer that you post there, since then your post will be readable even by those who don’t have Facebook or MySpace accounts—and the whole point here is to share our posts.
I am a new mom to a 4-month old boy who is pure joy, magic, and the most incredibly blessing. I have always been passionate about having children and so when I began to approach my mid-thirties but was still without a partner with whom to pursue starting a family with I made the choice to have a baby on my own. My son’s father is a gay friend who is a non-custodial but participatory co-parent to our child. He is partnered. So far, everything from conception, to birth, to parenting has been ideal if not utopian. I attribute this to the mindful and well-considered way that we went about making the decision to have a child.
Now, although as a single parent I’ve never been happier in my life, I am not without moments of still really wishing I was partnered as well as being an ecstatic new mom. No, you can’t have it all and I am quite blessed, but I am realize that there needs to be a greater balance and support system to my own daily life.
So, you might be thinking, well then get out there and find someone. It just isn’t that easy. Clearly when my son is a bit older dating again will be easier than it is now, but I am wondering if anyone has any advise as to where a single lesbian mom might date or find gay women who might be interested in becoming involved with a woman with a small child. I’m finding our general LGBT population is not this demographic. Are there any sites, services, or groups in particular that focus on connecting lesbians who are interested in starting a family (having children)?
I’m located in the New York City area.
Thanks!
In honor of this I am going to make it one of the topics of the month on TLL. I think this is a wonderful project.
Awesome, Kelly. Thanks! I look forward to it and would like to help out with the project in any way possible. Take care, KV.