New babies, moms making history, fresh insights on trans parents, advances in reproductive science, political progress, and more! Here’s what’s happening that I haven’t covered already.
Family Stories
- A baby is on the way for Las Vegas Aces point guard Chelsea Gray and her spouse Tipesa Gray, director of athlete relations at talent firm Transition Play.
- In the soccer world, former U.S. Women’s National Team members Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger are getting divorced. The couple has two young children and must “agree on child custody, support, non-disparagement and non-harassment terms as well as attend a parenting class for the divorce to proceed,” per the Washington Blade.
- Many stories of LGBTQ families today focus on LGBTQ couples starting families together, but Natasha Dantzig, in an essay for Business Insider, writes about having two kids with a man, coming out as a lesbian, and now co-parenting with her new partner.
- On a historical note, The Lily profiled Helene Faasen and Anne Marie Thus, the first female same-sex couple in the world to legally marry—who had a 9-month-old son when they wed, and eventually had two children. (Thanks to the National Center for Lesbian Rights for the tip!)
Research
- “Is Transgender Pregnancy Different from Cisgender Pregnancy?” asks the Trans Fertility Co., sharing information on a new study from the University of Michigan, one of the largest studies to date of transgender people who have given birth. Trans Fertility Co. notes that, “Intriguingly, it was found that while transgender parents had higher prevalence of chronic conditions, notably anxiety or depression, the rates of chronic conditions were lower than that reported by the general transgender population of the United States.” Additionally, “Transgender parents had lower rates of cesarean sections than their cisgender counterparts” and there were “very similar rates between transgender and cisgender preterm delivery.” Although further research is needed to paint a full picture, they say, “This is rather promising, as it shows that transgender identity might not directly link to negative pregnancy outcomes.”
Politics and Law
- I have long stressed the need for nongestational queer parents like myself to get an adoption, court order, or equivalent even if we are on our children’s birth certificates. I’m happy to see this piece from WGBH also raising awareness of why this is needed. (If you want more information, visit LGBTQparentage.org, a guide that GLAD and I created to explain why securing your parentage is important and the options you have to do so.)
- The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to block a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming medical care for trans people under 18, in a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Tennessee, Lambda Legal, and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. It would be the first time the issue has come before the nation’s highest court, if it takes the case.
- Japan’s Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to require transgender people to undergo sterilization in order to legally change their gender, reports the New York Times. The court did not, however, rule on a separate requirement that trans people must undergo gender-affirming surgery in order to legally register as the gender with which they identify. That requirement will still be debated by the High Court.
- Although the U.K. government last year promised that LGBTQ couples would be able to access fertility treatment on a fairer basis, change is slow and still unfair in much of the country, as the BBC reports. (See also my recent piece on a big update from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in the U.S. that bears on this topic.)
- The Island of Jersey is updating legislation to allow both parents in a same-sex couple to be named on their children’s birth certificates, and give legal parental status to couples whose child is born to a surrogate, reports PinkNews.
Schools and Education
- There’s a lot of news these days about anti-LGBTQ folks trying to influence school boards, so I want to elevate this story of a group of parents asking the Board of Education in Huntington, New York, to commit to more LGBTQ representation in the curriculum and school celebrations. While the outcome remains unknown, their efforts should still inspire.
Reproductive Science
- The Washington Post looks at “The surprising reason why mammals engage in same-sex mating“—to improve social relationships and mitigate conflict.
- The Boston Globe explores “The next frontier in baby-making,” including “More successful IVF, egg cells from men, and sperm cells from women.”
Fun and Play
- Finally, because Legos were a formative part of my own childhood and parenting experiences, I’ll note that couple Brad Bergman and Mike Tarrant (although not dads) competed on this season of Fox’s Lego Masters and spoke with GLAAD about their experience.