The White House photostream now includes a photo of First Lady Michelle Obama with Andrea and Logan Smith (10 months). Andrea is the executive director of Green Florida and wife of Equality Florida executive director Nadine Smith—and their son is absolutely adorable. (It’s all about the cheeks. Or maybe the eyes. Total cuteness either way.)
Sometimes a story about an LGBT family comes along that really stands out for its warmth, understanding, and optimism. Today, NPR’s StoryCorps ran “A Mom Becomes A Man, And A Family Sticks Together,”about Les GrantSmith, a transgender man, his husband Scott, and their two daughters. It’s a wonderful account that stays consistently positive without hiding the challenges the family faced. Here’s the lovely beginning:
Black LGBT families are an unfortunate rarity in the media, but the Washington Post this week showcased not one, but two, black lesbian couples with kids. Taken together, the stories show that just maybe, we are moving towards several different types of acceptance in this country.
These two dads react with surprise and elation when they find out they’re going to be grandpas. Some things are universal. (Thanks, Family Equality Council!)
Family Profiles Tigger, a lesbian mom, writes at Moms Rising about why “Without Unemployment Insurance, My Family Would Have To Choose Which Bills to Pay.” CBS Minnesota’s WCCO This Morning each week “[rewards] a hard-working, dedicated parent who loves what they do.” Last week, they chose lesbian moms Tara and Becky Lien—but the notable thing
At first, I ignored it when I saw a few people posting the Zach Wahls video again over the past few days. The Iowa college student with two moms had shot to viral fame last February when he spoke at an Iowa House hearing about a bill to ban marriage for same-sex couples. I’d posted
Here are some of the parenting-specific LGBT stories of late: Deborah Skolnik of Parenting.com writes at CNN of “The new normal: Stay-at-home Dads and gay parents.” A nice piece that shows the many different varieties of families and family organization. Allison Sherry at the Denver Post profiles U.S. Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Cory Gardner
I’m passing along this message in the hope some of you can help. Tim Murphy, a journalist in New York City, is doing an article on straight sperm donors who remain involved “part time” in the lives of the children. Please contact him directly (or pass this message along) if you or someone you know can
I was recently asked by a mainstream journalist: “Are you worried about providing male role models for your son?”
I answered, as I always do to the question, “No.” It’s not that I don’t want him to have male role models; it’s just that I’m not worried about it. I think that very often, when the media asks that question, they are ignoring the realities not only of same-sex and single parents’ lives, but also of children’s lives in general.
I keep seeing bumper stickers around town with slogans like, “Proud Parent of a Middle School Honor Student,” and “Proud Parent of a Soldier.” They remind me, in this season of LGBT Pride, of how often “pride” is associated with both LGBT identity and parenting. We LGBT parents have a lot of which we can be proud, in a lot of different ways.
