Remembering (LGBTQ History)

Black Feminism and the History of LGBTQ Parenting

I’m at the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Creating Change Conference this week, and was thrilled by the plenary last night on Black Feminism and the Movement for Black Lives. Here’s my favorite quote of the evening, from Black feminist icon Barbara Smith.

Rainbow flag

LGBTQ Families, Past, Present, and Future

I love LGBTQ History Month almost more than I love Pride Month. Going to grad school in history will do that. Keeping in mind the truism “History is written by the victors” and philosopher George Santayana’s observation, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” I find there’s something about looking at our queer past that feels empowering and vital.

Ada Lovelace

Mother of Computer Programming Had a Queer Dad

Fun fact for LGBTQ History Month: Ada Lovelace, widely acknowledged to be the world’s first computer programmer and the founder of scientific computing, had a queer dad.

Gay and Lesbian History for Kids

Two New LGBT History Books for Kids

Two new books help fill the long-sparse landscape of LGBTQ histories for teen and tween readers—but one has some problems beneath the surface.

Milestones in LGBTQ Parenting History

October is LGBT History Month, and I want to celebrate with a look at some of the historical milestones—of laws, visibility, and community—related to LGBT parents in the U.S.

Bill Jones

Watch: Story of One of First Gay Men to Adopt in U.S.

NPR’s excellent StoryCorps program last week ran a segment on Bill Jones, one of the first single men–and gay men–to adopt a child in the U.S. There’s even more to know about this pioneering gay dad, however.

Bust of Sappho

Seeking LGBTQ Parents in History

Opponents of LGBTQ equality often try to make LGBTQ parents seem like a new and untested phenomenon, and therefore something to be avoided. The history of LGBTQ parents and our children, however, goes back further than one might think.

Classic Film About Lesbian Mothers Now on DVD

The Fosters, ABC Family’s drama about two moms raising their five children, ended its very successful first season at the end of March. But The Fosters — and many real-life two-mom families — owe a debt of gratitude to a film that premiered 30 years ago and is now newly remastered and available on DVD: Choosing Children, the first documentary to look at lesbians who became parents after coming out.

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