Time for another roundup. Yee hah!
Youth and Schools
- Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools in the U.S. Department of Education, and founder of GLSEN, is speaking out about the beating of a high school student in Belleville, Illinois and the inaction (or cheering encouragement) of bystanders. Meanwhile, Pam shares news of the right-wing attacks on Jennings because he is gay and ostensibly too radical.
- In contrast to the incident Jennings relates, Pat Griffin, Director of the It Takes A Team! Education Campaign for LGBT Issues in Sport, brings us the wonderful story of a high school girls’ ice hockey team in New Brunswick, Canada who stood up to homophobia when two team members came out.
- The New York Times has a long and worthwhile article on kids coming out in middle school.
- ABC News reports on a new study that found gay, lesbian and bisexual teenagers may be at higher risk of binge-eating and purging than their heterosexual peers, starting as early as age 12—which is why more people should read the NYT article above and stop acting like there’s some minimum age before which we can’t talk about “gay” issues.
Politics and Law
- Joy Behar of The View (and her upcoming solo show) takes the Ukrainian government to task for not allowing Elton John and his partner David Furnish to adopt a child they met while visiting an orphanage in that country. “There’s no downside to gay adoption,” she writes. “In the United States, organizations like the National Adoption Center, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics all agree that having homosexual parents does not negatively affect children. But you know what does negatively affect children? Growing up with no parents.” Damn right. I do have concerns about the 62-year-old John adopting an infant and being able to keep up, but that’s a separate matter. (Thanks, Michael.)
- A trio of professors from the University of Maine tell it like it is with regard to same-sex parents and our families: “Opponents of same-sex marriages . . . might consider that the children who grow up with same-sex parents are overwhelmingly clear about one simple point: What hurts them the most are the beliefs and the actions of people in their communities who think their families are not as legitimate and not as ordinary as any other family.” I agree.
- Physicians from the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) announced their support for marriage equality. “ Children who are raised by legally married parents benefit from the legal status granted to their parents. What is good for parents and families is good for children,” said Dr. Jonathan Fanburg, president of the Maine Chapter of the AAP.
- Starting Monday, September 28 same-sex couples in Scotland will be allowed to adopt children. Currently, gay men and lesbians may adopt, but only as individuals.
Media and Entertainment
- Two years after I first posted about Dottie’s Magic Pockets, the DVD series for children of LGBT parents (and their friends), NPR’s Marketplace has discovered the show. Reporter Alex Schmidt says, “Media companies will be first in line to give [director Tammy Stoner] a hug—if the money’s good enough. . . . The trick for those execs is getting their hands on the money without offending mainstream audiences. In Dottie’s Magic Pockets, Tammy Stoner wants to show the audience that a family parented by two people of the same sex is like any other.” I’d amend that to say, “The trick for those execs is getting their hands on the money without worrying about whether they offend mainstream audiences.” Because really, if someone is offended by silly puppets and catchy songs, they probably shouldn’t be watching kids’ shows. Here’s my own interview with Stoner, in which she talks about some of the more practical hurdles she had to overcome in making the show.
Personal Stories
- Gina Kaysen Fernandes of Momlogic gives readers an overview of our lives titled, “Out of the Closet: Raising Kids in Gay Families.” Nothing new for readers of this blog, but it’s nice to see this kind of information spreading. She also quotes from Brett Berk, aka, The Gay Uncle, who, aside from being gay and an uncle has also been a professional educator, and is usually worth a listen. (I also agree with his assessment that “gay families” is something of a misnomer, since the family as a unit isn’t gay, just the people in it.) The only line that made me raise an eyebrow is Fernandes’ statement that “Kids can start learning about different family structures as young as 3 years old.” I say kids start learning about different family structures as soon as they meet other families, which could be at an even younger age. (And that’s different from learning about sex, of course, which is a topic for later.)
- Alex at Queercents talks about frugal birthday parties for kids, with ideas that sound fun and less stressful even if you are rich.