Today marks the start of Banned Books Week, a celebration of the freedom to read. This week, LGBT families have a particular reason to observe the event. Children’s storybook And Tango Makes Three, based on a true story about two male penguins who adopt an abandoned egg, tops the American Library Association’s list of “10 […]
The ongoing ENDA story dominates the LGBT headlines right now. To follow up on my earlier post: HRC has finally issued a statement. They say it is “devastating” that the bill no longer includes gender identity, but state “The decision has been made,” and claim that: House leadership and the bill’s sponsors very firmly believe
It’s official. House Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and openly gay Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) are taking gender-identity protections out of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) because they fear it will not pass otherwise. This is reprehensible. There is a reason we use the unwieldy acronym L, G,
The Matthew Shepard Act, LGBT-inclusive hate crimes legislation, today passed the U.S. Senate. Judy and Dennis Shepard, parents of the slain college student for whom the bill is named, said “Today’s Senate vote sends a bold and unmistakable message that violent crimes committed in the name of hate must end.” The House version of the
I watched the premiere of the remade Bionic Woman last night. I haven’t been getting my fill of kick-butt women on TV since Alias went off the air. It was fun in an escapist sort of way, and I will probably tune in again. Interestingly, the 2007 version of Jamie Sommers is also a parental
October kicks off GLBT History Month, which is similar to GLBT Pride Month in June, but with fewer parades and more educational content.* Equality Forum, the coordinator of this intellectual celebration, has selected 31 GLBT “Icons” to feature during the month, one per day. It’s not meant to be an exclusive list, but rather to
Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, vital legislation that includes explicit protections against hate crimes based on real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. The Matthew Shepard Foundation is urging people to call their Senators now (202-224-3121) and ask for him/her to the vote for
Over the past few months, I’ve been pleased to work with the Family Pride Coalition and their OUTSpoken Families program to bring you a series of Family Voices, interviews with LGBT parents around the country. For the next phase of Family Voices, I’m proud to join with COLAGE, Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere, to
The yearly “Nation’s Report Card,” aka the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), came out today with news that supports both proponents and critics of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. 700,000 students in grades 4 and 8 took NAEP reading and math exams last winter, and the results provide a look at
This week’s Family Voices interview is with lesbian moms—and grandmothers—Barbara and Patricia. Below, they talk about their multi-religious and multi-ethnic family, being mothers to a young child while also having grown children, coming out to older children, and their love of P-town. As with the previous families highlighted in this feature, they are members of
