I launched Mombian 19 years ago today, which makes it the perfect time to thank all of you who have read, shared, and commented on my work, inspired me with your ideas and family stories, and taught me much about parenting, queerness, and community.
As always, too, thanks to my spouse, who has been patient with my many long hours of writing, and to my son, who was the initial motivation for this blog when he was two, and who remains an inspiration today as a young man.
It is humbling and wonderful to think that some of the LGBTQ folks starting families today were children themselves when this blog began. Much has improved for LGBTQ families over the past 19 years, including the spread of marriage equality, the growth of expanded legal recognition for LGBTQ parents; increased media representation of LGBTQ families in children’s books and television; a larger, more nuanced vocabulary to talk about LGBTQ identities (including parenting names); and our growing visibility in so many aspects of society and culture.
It would be foolish, however, to ignore the many challenges that remain: the need for updated parentage laws that reflect and protect the many ways families are created today; the need for accurate and inclusive information on starting and raising our families; the need for inclusive representation in books and media, without censorship; the need for inclusive schools that respect, include, and affirm all students’ intersectional identities; the need to protect and expand access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion, contraception, and IVF; and the need to assure that our next president doesn’t roll back our rights even further, among other things.
I have no easy solutions for any of the above, but I do hope that by continuing to offer news, information, resources, and occasional diversions, this blog can play some small part in strengthening and connecting our community of LGBTQ families.
Thank you again for being along with me on the ride.