- First, something not specific to parenting but that affects LGBT families with and without children: The Bilerico Project and many other blogs are holding a blogswarm today asking readers to contact Speaker Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-4965 and request that she move the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to a floor vote. Further details are here.
- One Florida legislator in the House and one in the Senate introduced legislation to overturn the state’s ban on adoption by gay men and lesbians. The House legislation was added as an amendment to a bill that would make it illegal for adoption agencies to ask prospective parents about firearms in the household. The amendment was then withdrawn as being irrelevant to the main bill. The measure in the Senate was withdrawn as well. The next day, Rep. Mary Brandenburg (D-West Palm Beach) filed another bill to remove the ban.
- The Berkeley Unified School District in California adopted the Welcoming Schools Guide, developed by the HRC Foundation Family Project, as official district curriculum. Here’s a video of the Guide being introduced at at school board meeting; here’s my coverage from a few years ago when the Guide was first launched as a pilot program. LesbianDad, who lives in the district, offers her own insights on this development. It’s a great curriculum, and a great step for creating a welcoming environment for all children.
- Not new news, except that it just came to my attention: lesbian mom Nickie Antonio is running for state rep. in Ohio’s District 13.
- I mentioned last week the bill that has passed the Arizona House, giving married couples preference over unmarried ones in the adoption of children. Michael Jones at Change.org has more on the legislators behind this thinly veiled anti-gay law.
- In another update from earlier news, the couple whose child was kicked out of Catholic preschool because they are lesbians have given a statement to the press. Worth a read.
- If you’re doing a second-parent adoption, be sure to read Nancy Polikoff’s post, “Understanding the Adoption Tax Credit for Second-Parent Adoptions.”
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Hey, thanks for picking up the BUSD – Welcoming Schools curriculum news. Ours was one of those pilot school districts a few years back, and I saw the curriculum then and have talked to teachers and administrators who’ve used it. It’s really something. Also great material that any individual parent could bring to the attention of an interested teacher or administrator for lesson-by-lesson or supplementary use.
It takes a real top-to-bottom, parent-to-administrator campaign to get curriculum change to happen, but helping it to happen at the school district level is clearly the most effective, important work we can be doing for our kids in school. Thanks for drawing attention to our local victory, and to the curriculum itself.