My spouse Helen and I recently celebrated our 33rd anniversary, which got me thinking about the early 1990s when we first met. Take a walk back with me through a few significant early 90s moments and milestones for queer families.
For Women’s History Month, let’s take a trip back to 1985, when a book for lesbians considering parenthood—one of the first books about queer parents—offered some wisdom that still feels relevant today.
November 18 marks at least five notable LGBTQ anniversaries and observances. Do you know them all? (OK, one is purely personal; it’s the “Massaversary” of when my spouse and I made it legal in Massachusetts. But even that is related to another event….)
Today is Transgender Parent Day, so here’s to the trans parents of today and tomorrow—and of the past, on whose shoulders they stand. Please enjoy this profile of Billy Tipton (1914-1989), a jazz bandleader, father of three sons, and a trans man.
LGBTQ parents and our children have a long history, arguably going back to Sappho (c. 600 BCE), who may have had a child. For LGBTQ History Month, I’m sharing some resources I’ve put together on this long and varied history, including a handy timeline of key milestones.
Seven picture books published this year—six biographies and one historical snapshot—highlight an array of figures and moments from LGBTQ history. One expects such books to be informative—but these are also often fun, lyrical, and dazzlingly illustrated, ready to inspire young readers in multiple ways.
My spouse and I started our path to parenthood via reciprocal IVF (my egg, her womb) in 2002—so I was surprised to find numerous places online saying that RIVF was created in 2007 or even later. For LGBTQ History Month, I dug into RIVF’s real history, going back more than 30 years.
Today marks the theatrical release of Fairyland, based on Alysia Abbott’s memoir about growing up with a single gay dad during the 1970s and 80s. Go see it—then read the book and these other memoirs by people who grew up with queer parents in roughly the same era.
For LGBTQ History Month, I spoke with Margaret Mooney, editor of a new anthology of essays by lesbian mothers who raised children in the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s. The book not only sheds light on the past, but also offers wisdom for today.
I am thrilled to be kicking off LGBTQ History Month with the cover reveal of Willi Ninja: Vogue Legend, the first book in the exciting new Rainbow History series from Candlewick Press! Read on for a review, a Q&A with author Joy Michael Ellison, and a bonus interior spread from illustrator Nabi H. Ali.
