The world has lost a fighter for justice. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charlie Morgan of the New Hampshire National Guard, and a lesbian mom, passed away this morning, Outserve-SLDN informs us. She had been fighting stage 4 breast cancer. Morgan was also a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
President Obama has awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor, to Jeanne Manford, the schoolteacher who founded PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) in support of her gay son. The Medal recognizes Americans who have “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.” Manford passed away exactly a month ago at the age of 92, but was told of the honor before she died.
It may not quite be an Internet meme, but several writers in the past month have offered their thoughts on what not to say to lesbian moms. Judy Gold at HuffPo gives a personal story about “The Question You Should Never Ask a Lesbian Mom”; Jeanne Sager at The Stir lists “5 Things Never to Say to Lesbian Moms”; and L. A. Pintea at Parents.com relates “10 Things You Shouldn’t Ask a Lesbian Mom.” It’s enough to make people think they should never approach us. I’d like to turn things around here, and suggest several things you should say to lesbian moms.
Becky is American. Sanne is Dutch. They met in India several years ago, fell in love, started their family, and married in the Netherlands. They lived there for some time, where Becky was fully recognized as Sanne’s spouse. They moved to the U.S., however, in order to be closer to Becky’s family in North Carolina, and decided that’s where home is for them. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), however, means they must live in fear that any day an immigration agent could show up at their door and remove Sanne. Becky says, “to some people it’s a vote, but to us, it’s our lives, and our family, and we’re not just a political issue or a platform.” Here is a video of their story.
We in the LGBT parenting blogger community write often about bringing children into our families. We don’t often write about having them leave us. Timaree and Jodi, however, posted yesterday of the loss of their son, Caemon, who had been fighting a rare form of leukemia. My heart goes out to them.
Personal stories, political moves, and celebrity news I haven’t covered elsewhere (or that bear repeating).
Today is the 20th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), so it’s the perfect time to remind folks that FMLA allows people to take time off to care for a child (biological or adoptive) who is legally the child of a same-sex partner—that is, even if you are not on the child’s birth certificate or haven’t done a second-parent adoption. Here’s the story of two lesbian moms who used FMLA leave, despite having to be extra prepared to explain matters to their employer.
Jamaica has one of the worst records in the world on LGBT rights. Male same-sex relationships are punishable by up to 10 years in jail, and attitudes, harassment, and hate crimes are endemic across the LGBT spectrum. Filmmaker Micah Fink wants to tell the stories of two Jamaicans affected by homophobia, one of whom is a lesbian mom.
George Kalogridis started as a busboy at Walt Disney World and will now become the theme park’s fifth president, South Florida Gay News reports. Oh, and he’s openly gay. What will this mean for the park and for the prospect of greater representation of LGBT families within the Disney empire?
Twenty years ago, on February 5, 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act, allowing eligible employees to take time off to care for new children (biological or adopted) or family members with medical problems. The FMLA even allows employees to take time for a new child even if you are not the legal parent—but does not cover same-sex spouses or partners. The Family Equality Council is therefore collecting stories, good and bad, about how LGBT people have used—or been denied—FMLA. They want yours! Here’s how to submit your story.
