Representing
That Pesky Penguin
Yet another school district has made a fuss over And Tango Makes Three, the book about the chick hatched by two male penguins, and the American Library Association’s Most Challenged Book of 2006. The school superintendent of Loudoun County, Virginia, has instructed county elementary schools to take the book out of general circulation and move
Shooting and Singing
Lawrence King, a 15-year-old eighth grader, was declared brain dead after being shot by a fellow student in what police are calling a hate crime. King was gay and often came to school in feminine clothing and makeup. This churns my stomach. I don’t need to tell readers here of the pervasiveness of anti-LGBT bullying
Rainbow List Chair Talks About LGBT-Themed Children’s Books
A few weeks ago, I wrote of the American Library Association’s new Rainbow List of LGBT-themed children’s books. School Library Journal this week has an interview with retired school librarian Nel Ward, the Rainbow Project’s chair. She talks about the process of choosing books for the list, how LGBT books have changed over the past
“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 15
In our vlog this week, Helen and I wonder if ABC’s Cashmere Mafia has not one, but two, lesbian pregnancies up its oh-so-fashionable (but thankfully turkey-baster-free) sleeve. We also discuss The L Word’s portrayal of an older daughter dealing with a mom’s coming out, the newly domestic Bette Porter, and scary foods from childhood. Finally,
If the L Word Characters Ran the Government
In this season of primaries and The L Word, I can’t help reprising and revising a post from last year: What if the characters on the show ran the U.S. government? We might get something like this:
National Diversity Book Month for Children
February is getting busy. In addition to being Black History Month and primary season, it is also National Diversity Book Month, as declared by the Family Equality Council. They have a page full of resources on LGBT-inclusive children’s books, including an extensive book list. The list isn’t perfect; it only lists three books from Todd
“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 14
In this week’s video blog, Helen and I take a retrospective look at three films in which Jodie Foster plays a single mom. We discuss Foster’s own commentary on Little Man Tate, her directorial debut, and speculate on how Foster’s own experience as the daughter of a single mom may have shaped the film. We
Big Gay Sketch Show Giveaway
This week’s giveaway is for the parents, not the kids. The fine folks at LOGO have offered a free DVD of The Big Gay Sketch Show, Season One, to a Mombian reader. Let’s face it: in an election year, we could all use a good laugh. Season Two of the show kicks off tomorrow, so