It’s been a minute since I’ve rounded things up, so here are some stories that I haven’t covered separately, including a positive ruling for queer parents in India, queer parent politicians making moves in the U.S., resources on queer parenting and family formation, and how Pete Buttigieg’s daughter counsels anger management.
Queer Parent Politicians Making Moves
- U.S. Representative Angie Craig (D-MN), the first out LGBTQ Congressperson from Minnesota and the first lesbian mom in Congress, has announced her run for the U.S. Senate. Craig is the mother of four grown sons and three grandsons with her spouse Cheryl.
- Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), who has two children with her spouse Elizabeth Wohl, and ally Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), have introduced “The No Place for LGBTQ+ Hate Act.” The bill would ensure that the president’s executive orders targeting LGBTQ and other Americans have no force or effect and are not supported by federal funds.
- Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D) spoke with NPR’s Morning Edition about how she and other Democratic governors are pushing back against the current federal administration. Massachusetts and 18 other states are suing the administration over its threat to withhold federal funding from states with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Healey is the stepmom to two children with partner Joanna Lydgate.
- Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who has two children with his spouse Chasten Buttigieg, talked recently with Preet Bharara, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. They discuss various policy topics, how Buttigieg prepares for hostile interviews, and how the Buttigiegs’ 3-year-old daughter quoted Daniel Tiger to help her dad calm down after she and her brother emptied the laundry basket onto the floor. Preschoolers have all the wisdom.
- Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary under President Biden and the mother of one with her ex-partner, has announced she is leaving the Democratic Party to become an Independent. She is also promoting her new book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines.
- Former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine, who has two children with her former spouse, spoke with the Advocate about how the current federal administration is undoing decades of work against HIV and STIs.
- Levine also received an honarary degree from Smith College at its recent commencement.
- While some Republican lawmakers in Ohio have been trying to designate the time between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day as “Natural Family Month,” an attempt to exclude LGBTQ and other families that don’t fit a one-mom, one-dad structure, Democrats led by Ohio State Rep. Karen Brownlee (D-Symmes Township) and Darnell T. Brewer (D-Cleveland) have introduced the “Parents Rights for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity” Act (PRIDE Act) to support trangender children and their parents. The bill supports parents’ right to equitable access for their children to educational opportunities, behavioral care, hygiene care, and “a full range of evidence-based medical care.” The Democrats also introduced bills to expand anti-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity, prohibit conversion therapy, and codify marriage equality in state law. (It’s only been 10 years since Obergefell…. Sigh.)
- And not a queer parent, but famously the child of them: Zach Wahls (D), whose speech about his two moms to the Iowa Legislature went viral twice during the marriage equality battles, is now serving in the Iowa Senate himself and is considering a run next year against U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R), reports Charlotte Clymer. Ernst made headlines recently when she callously responded to concerns that the president’s proposed cuts to the federal budget would cause people to die. “Well, we are all going to die,” she said.
- Finally, although I have far less clout than any of the above, I’m attending my local town meeting this week, since we have some anti-LGBTQ elected officials and their supporters (yes, even here in Massachusetts), and it’s important that we don’t let them carry the day simply because we don’t show up.
International News
- The Madras High Court in India ruled that although same-sex couples cannot legally marry, they still have the right to form families, reports the Times of India. The case involved a 25-year-old lesbian woman, who had been forcefully separated from her partner by her family. The ruling prohibited them from interfering with her personal liberty.
- The Hong Kong Free Press looks at the lives of same-sex parents and their kids in Hong Kong.
- The South China Morning Post reports on a time capsule created by LGBTQ Singaporeans, which includes a Pride t-shirt designed by the 8-year-old daughter of two moms.
Queer Parenting Practices, Challenges, and Resources
- LGBTQ Nation shares “6 resources to help queer moms navigate parenting,” and I’m honored that Mombian is on the list, along with several other great resources.
- Uncloseted Media looks at “Why Lesbians Face a Maternal Healthcare Crisis,” exploring the social, financial, and legal reasons lesbians (and other queer people giving birth) may face obstacles before, during, and after giving birth. It’s sobering—but I also urge readers not to let fears stop you. Plan and prepare, and know there are resources out there that can help.
- USA Today looks at the costs of fertility care for LGBTQ people.
- Translash Media has produced a couple of recent podcast episodes on family creation:
- Parents magazine looks at how queer couples share the mental load of parenting. In short, while we are often more flexible and equitable than straight, cisgender couples, that doesn’t mean things are always balanced between us. That imbalance is important to acknowledge, especially because we also often experience more stress from discrimination and stigma.
Queer Parent Celebrity News
- Actor and queer mom Jodie Foster was awarded the Radcliffe Medal from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, given annually “to an individual who embodies its commitment to excellence, inclusion, and social impact.”
- Brazilian superstar singer Ludmilla and spouse Brunna Gonçalves have welcomed their first child. People has photos.
- I’m saving sports celebrities for a separate roundup. Stay tuned….