“White Collar” Gives Us New Lesbian Mom on TV
Diana Berrigan, an FBI agent on USA Network’s White Collar, is the latest lesbian mom to grace our television screens.
Diana Berrigan, an FBI agent on USA Network’s White Collar, is the latest lesbian mom to grace our television screens.
Lesbian moms have been a vital part of the LGBT rights movement since there was an LGBT rights movement. The documentary Mom’s Apple Pie: The Heart of the Lesbian Mothers’ Custody Movement gives us a look at several early custody cases involving lesbian moms—and shows how the activism they spawned has had a direct impact on LGBT people and organizations today.
Question: What 1952 — 1952! — book was about a married mother who leaves her husband for another woman, only to battle him in court for custody of their daughter? Read on for the answer, as well as more about the story coming to the big screen.
(This is a slightly revised version of a piece I wrote for my Mombian newspaper column several years ago, but which seemed worth reposting in honor of LGBT History Month.)
Gay AmericaLGBT History Month is the perfect time to write about Linas Alsenas’ Gay America: Struggle for Equality (Amulet: 2008), a history of gay men and lesbians in the U.S. from the mid-nineteenth century through 2005. It fills a much needed gap, not because of the subject (there are a small but a growing number of LGBT-specific histories), but because of its audience: teens.
I originally wrote this for my Mombian newspaper column last year, but as it’s LGBT History Month once again, I thought I’d rerun it—a look at some of the historical milestones—of laws, visibility, and community—related to LGBT parents.
Two exquisite new memoirs show the breadth of experiences that fall under the umbrella of LGBT parenting. One asks us to reflect on what it means to be a mother or a father; the other shines a light on a gay father and his daughter in the era of Harvey Milk.
It’s Banned Books Week once again — a national celebration of the freedom to read! Check out these children’s and young adult books that have been challenged in the past year because of gay- or lesbian-related content.
Some good news for fans of ABC Family’s The Fosters this week: Real-life lesbian foster mom and entertainer Rosie O’Donnell will be appearing in an upcoming story arc. Filming has already begun for the new season, which starts in January. See more after the jump, including star Sherri Saum’s tantalizing tweet.
Yes, it’s true! Two new shows featuring same-sex parents will be coming to television.
Yesterday, I wrote about Julie Silver, a well-known Jewish singer-songwriter and lesbian mom. As we approach the start of Yom Kippur this evening, it seems only appropriate to post a clip of her singing. The first song, “This Train,” is a beautiful metaphor about social justice that people of all traditions should appreciate. And for extra-special lesbian goodness, it’s the song of hers that Ellen DeGeneres said was her favorite, according to a blurb on Silver’s Web site.