The Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute has partnered with the National Conference of Black Political Scientists to increase the numbers of gay black political leaders. The groups have created the Bayard Rustin Award, named for the openly gay, African American civil rights leader who helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, to honor “outstanding contributions […]
The first comprehensive report on LGBT families’ experiences in education, Involved, Invisible, Ignored, has found that LGBT parents are more likely to be involved in their children’s K-12 education than the general parent population. At the same time, both LGBT parents and their children often report harassment because of their family structure. The report was
The school superintendent of Loudoun County, Virginia may be changing his mind about removing And Tango Makes Three from elementary school library shelves. He now says he “exceeded the authority” given to him by the school board, reports the Washington Post. Since the challenge to the book only applied to the Sugarland Elementary School, it
Vlogging barefoot! Helen and I kick off our shoes and socks this week in honor of the k.d. lang concert we just attended, advise when not to sport a fauxhawk, and then discuss some financial ideas for parents. Thinking about starting a family or already planning for your childrens’ college educations? We share what’s worked
Here’s a situation we wouldn’t see here in the U.S.: A couple in the U.K. was refused permission to become foster parents after they told a panel that their [Christian] belief would prevent them from addressing a child’s homosexuality in a positive light.” The panel rejected their application, citing the recent Sexual Orientation Act that
Neither my son nor this blog would be here without the benefit of modern technology, and for that (mostly the former), I am grateful. I’m a minimalist when it comes to childcare technology, however, although I’ve found a baby monitor to be a useful gadget. The New York Times, however, takes a look at several
While we’re on the subject of education, a survey by the new research and advocacy group Common Core shows “a significant proportion of teenagers live in ‘stunning ignorance’ of history and literature.” The organization says “The No Child Left Behind Act has increased the amount of time schools devote to basic reading and math skills,
There’s a new online registry for donor-conceived children, their parents, and sperm, egg, or embryo donors to find each other. Donor Offspring Matches (DOM) has just launched as an alternative to the older Donor Sibling Registry (DSR). DOM has one advantage over DSR, though: it is free, whereas DSR charges $40 per year. Is this
Children need to play. Oh, that’s obvious, you say—but according to NPR’s Alix Spiegel, children today need more “freewheeling imaginative play,” as opposed to structured enrichment classes or play centered around single-purpose toys. I’ve long felt this; one of the many reasons my son has my 25-year-old Legos rather than today’s versions. (OK, there’s some
First, Lawrence King, then Simmie Williams, Jr., gender-nonconforming teens shot to death in the last three weeks. Both shootings appear to be hate crimes. Yet Lawrence King was not the first, as the long list of names honored during the Transgender Day of Remembrance and in the Wikipedia entry for Violence Against LGBT People makes
