December 2009

LGBT Families: Send the President a Holiday Card

A number of leading national and regional LGBT family rights groups have launched the “From Our Family to Yours Campaign,” urging LGBT families to send holiday cards to President Obama and his family. The goal is “to introduce the First Family to thousands of LGBT families” and to “increase visibility and awareness about the need […]

Family Songs from Erin Lee and Marci

Children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci bring us the next of their regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family. Look for Erin Lee and Marci here on the first Monday of each month, or visit their homepage, www.gottaplay.org. I’ve created links

Weekend Reading: Reaching Across the Lines

Two stories caught my eye today that show the value of making personal connections, even when the barriers between people seem insurmountable. They make a good pair of pieces for weekend reading. One is Steven Goldstein’s piece at Blue Jersey, which I mentioned in my Political Roundup this week. Steven is the chair of Garden

Weekly Political Roundup

First, the story that should be making the most headlines next week: A New Jersey Senate committee will consider a marriage equality proposal on Monday. The proposal could be posted for a full senate vote later in the week. Steven Goldstein, the indefatigable chair of Garden State Equality, has been doing a heroic job of

Alameda Diversity Curriculum Is Not Health Ed; Parents Can’t Opt Out Their Kids

Many of you followed last spring’s story about the uproar by some conservatives when the Alameda, California school board decided to adopt an LGBT-inclusive safe-schools curriculum. Now comes a new ruling stating that because the diversity curriculum doesn’t constitute health education, parents cannot opt their children out of it. Finally, a glimmer of understanding that

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 92

Helen and I discuss the second volume of LGBT parenting essays to come out of Canada this year, one that explores the many new and unnamed family connections that are created when one uses a known donor. We also offer some advice and suggestions for those buying gifts for children (or their parents) this season.

If We Can Make It There . . .

. . . but we couldn’t. The New York State Senate failed to pass a marriage equality bill yesterday on a vote of 24-38. Not even close. Never mind that the state has one of the biggest meccas of LGBT life in the country, and is home to the Stonewall Inn, the place where the

Welcome to New Lesbian Mom Meredith Baxter!

Family Ties actor Meredith Baxter has just come out publicly as a lesbian. Actually, the signs were there earlier, when she joined Sweet’s new lesbian cruise last month and attended the Dinah lesbian festival in Palm Springs last year. She came out to herself and her family seven years ago, reports the Advocate, which is

LGBT Parenting Roundup

Just to mix things up, let’s start with some news from the Commonwealth of Nations: Celia Hannon of the U.K.’s Guardian weighs in on the debate about the merits of lesbian parents vs. straight parents. Her take on the matter is similar to mine, which is that the whole debate about which sexual orientation makes

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day. AIDS has impacted many people we know and many communities of which we are part. Since this is a parenting blog, however, I want to do what I have done in previous years, and highlight some recent statistics about AIDS and children. The numbers, of course, don’t capture the personal

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