November 2008

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 49

Helen and I celebrate this week’s season premiere of Top Chef with a vlog about teaching children to cook. We wield some of our favorite kid-friendly kitchen implements, offer tips on how to involve even the youngest tots, and share some of the many ways cooking can help children learn. We even let viewers in […]

Prop 8: This Is How Bad It Is

Judith Warner wrote a spot-on column in the New York Times about the impact of California’s Prop 8 on several LGBT families she knows. About two gay dads, she says: They’d also had to go to parent conferences and tell the teachers that their five-year-old daughter, Liza, might be struggling in school because she was

LGBT Parents: the Forgotten Voices of Prop. 8

(Originally published by Bay Windows, November 13, 2008.) Many are blaming the passage of California’s Prop 8 on black voters, 73 percent of whom supported the measure. People have, however, mostly ignored another group that voted in a significant majority for Prop 8: parents. Sixty-four percent of voters with children under 18 voted for it,

Our Families Are Equal

In lieu of our “She Got Me Pregnant” vlog, which I will post tomorrow, here’s a video compiled by the Family Equality Council from images sent in by LGBT parents around the country, “declaring their families equal.” It’s become the eighth most-viewed video on YouTube this week in the Nonprofits & Activism category.

LGBT Parenting Roundup

[Our “She Got Me Pregnant” vlog will be posted tomorrow. Stay tuned. Back to Thursdays next week.] A few items of note from hither and yon: Thomas Beatie, the transgender man whose pregnancy made headlines, is expecting a second child, ABC News reveals. Beatie will be talking with Barbara Walters on 20/20 tomorrow night at

IKEA Proposal Leads to Connecticut Wedding for Lesbian Moms

Among the first same-sex couples to marry in Connecticut were lesbian moms Peg Oliveira and Jen Vickery. The New York Times reports “Ms. Oliveira proposed in the aisles of IKEA.” How lesbian is that? The couple wed today outside City Hall in New Haven with their three-month-old daughter, Willow, and several friends. No word on

Constituting Marriage in the Constitution State

It’s ironic. Voters in the Constitution State last week rejected the possibility of a Constitutional Convention that could have banned marriage of same-sex couples, even as three other states enshrined discrimination in their constitutions. No, maybe it’s not ironic. Maybe it means Connecticut citizens are more aware of what a constitution is—fundamental rights and governing

Barack Obama and Non-Traditional Families

I wrote this piece for 365gay.com just after the election last week, talking about what it might mean to have a president who grew up in a non-traditional family, especially in light of the anti-LGBT props that passed. I can’t crosspost yet, but you can go have a read.

Happy Veterans Day

I’m married to a veteran. Several of my friends and relatives are veterans. Some have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and may yet be redeployed. Thank you to all the veterans for everything they have done to serve our country. Because this is a parenting blog, a special thank you to all the parents serving

Thomas Beatie Speaks with Barbara Walters

Thomas Beatie, the transgender man who gave birth to a daughter this summer, will speak with Barbara Walters this week in his first interview since becoming a parent. Here’s from the ABC press release: A Barbara Walters exclusive — Last spring, the stunning announcement that Thomas Beatie, a transgender man, was pregnant sparked controversy and

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