(Originally published in Bay Windows, July 10, 2008.) Two new works offer much-needed guidance for families with transgender members, but each approaches the subject from a different perspective. One addresses parents of transgender children, while the other targets children of transgender parents. The Transgender Child, by Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper (Cleis, 2008), is subtitled, […]
Few among us, I’d wager, haven’t read Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd’s classic bedtime story Goodnight Moon. It was our son’s constant goodnight story for the first year or so of his life, and is now burned into my brain along with the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song, the movie Cars, and large
Helen and I talk about Family Outing, the funny, raunchy new memoir by a man whose mother was outed to him by her ex-girlfriend when he was 10 years old. (Not the recommended way of doing things, might I add.) We also share more highlights of our recent vacation to California, including San Francisco Pride’s
Children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci bring us the next of their regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family. I’m posting this a wee bit early this month because I’m on vacation; you can usually find Erin Lee and Marci here
Kermit Love, the costume designer who helped Jim Henson create Big Bird, has died at age 91. He is survived by his partner of 50 years, Christopher Lyall. Love built the Big Bird costume based on designs by Henson, and also helped design costumes and puppets for Snuffleupagus, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster, among
When I had the pleasure of interviewing Meema Spadola, director and producer of Our House: Kids of Gay and Lesbian Parents, she mentioned a little LGBT-inclusive children’s book that had slipped under my radar: Everywhere Babies, by Susan Meyer and illustrated by Marla Frazee. The book shows images of babies of many shapes, sizes, ethnicities,
Helen and I share the story of a Pride brunch hosted by the mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts, who is herself a lesbian mom—and grandmother. I even go so far as to show off my t-shirt from the event, the only pink piece of clothing I’ve owned in my adult life. We then bring you our
The Maternal Is Political: Women Writers at the Intersection of Motherhood and Social Change, a collection of 43 essays edited by Shari MacDonald Strong, is both a celebration and a manifesto for mothers with hopes of making the world a better place for their children. Its authors include news headliners like Nancy Pelosi, Benazir Bhutto,
Helen and I bring you the scoop on a mainstream TV documentary about lesbian partners who each had twins—at the same time. Plus: a film by the same filmmaker about single moms by choice, including one lesbian mom. (This is a recap of my previous post on the same.) We then share some of the
If you missed Quads with Two Moms, the Discovery Health show I mentioned yesterday, you can catch it again June 14 at 2 p.m. Eastern and July 6 at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. Here’s my quick take: It’s a good documentary, although the whizzy graphics and zippy scene cuts at the beginning struck me
