LGBT Parenting Roundup

(No vlog this week. Helen’s been away on a business trip, and it’s too hard to sit there talking to myself.)

Faith

In an essay for Commonweal magazine, an anonymous lesbian mom discusses her Catholic faith, her and her partner’s decision to send their children to Catholic school, and the welcome they received there, in contrast to the experience of two moms in Colorado who were told their son could not return to Catholic school once it became known they were a couple. A must-read for anyone interested in matters of faith.
A Vancouver teacher and lesbian mom says she was fired from her position at a Catholic girls’ school because she is a lesbian.

Schools and Youth

The Illinois House passed an anti-bullying bill that will now go to Gov. Pat Quinn. The bill specifically covers bullying because of someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity, among other categories. (For more on why the enumeration of categories is necessary, see my longer piece on bullying.)
While we’re on the subject of bullying, researchers at Harvard School of Public Health and Children’s Hospital found that people who have had a same-sex partner are up to two times as likely to experience violence, especially in childhood, and have double the risk of experiencing PTSD as a result.
Some of you may remember Ceara Sturgis, a Mississippi student whose school told her she could not wear a tuxedo for her yearbook photo. Now, the school has released its yearbook, and removed any mention of Ceara at all. Mike Jones at Change.org says this is one more reason we need to push for the Student Nondiscrimination Act that has been introduced into Congress.
Parents of transgender people joined with state representatives and the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) at the Massachusetts State House this week to support the Transgender Civil Rights Bill.
Mara Drummond at Bilerico explains why the argument that transgender people “confuse” kids is a red herring. What’s wrong with confusion in the classroom? she asks. Good question. As I’ve said before, and as others have said as well, a little confusion can be a learning experience.
Chile’s gay rights group, MOVILH, sponsored the country’s first forum on “education and sexual diversity,” hosting teachers, secondary school and university students.

Politics

The Louisiana Senate defeated a bill that would have allowed joint adoption by unmarried couples.
A bill to regulate IVF in India could limit the growing number of male couples from Western countries hiring surrogates in India.

Entertainment and Sports

Momlogic interviews Iron Chef and lesbian mom Cat Cora, who discusses the “controlled chaos” of life with four boys under six. One of her secrets? “I also have a wife,” she said. Sounds like she and spouse Jennifer have a good balance of duties, though, so I’ll take her comment as a subtle dig at those who assume every woman takes on the traditional role of wife and mother. We lesbians are free to mix it up a bit more. I fail to believe, though, that the “kid-friendly” recipe at the end of the article is really from Cora. Pancake mix? And a rotisserie chicken? Surely she would have made things from scratch, even if prepared in advance.
Melissa Etheridge, who also has four kids, offers her own parenting advice to Babble. “Love and strong boundaries” are the key, she says.
Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant, who was just drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, told The Dallas Morning News he still doesn’t like his mom being a lesbian, although “I dealt with it and now I’m comfortable with it.” Before we slam him for homophobia, I’ll just note that it is sometimes a very different family experience when parents come out after having kids than when they come out before starting a family. Not that any of the issues are insurmountable either way, but they are different. I’m sure some of you can speak to that better than I.