The Boy Scouts of America have proposed a policy change that would allow gay Scouts in their ranks, but would continue to deny leadership positions to “open or avowed homosexuals.” This policy is both a step forward and a slap in the face.
The Boy Scouts of America are an anti-gay organization. They don’t allow gay scouts—even ones about to get their Eagle awards. They kick out gay dads and lesbian moms who are leading their children’s dens and troops. But not all Scout leaders agree with the national policy, and some are speaking out.
The Boy Scouts’ Lincoln Heritage Council in Kentucky kicked Assistant Scoutmaster Greg Bourke out of his son’s troop last month, just because he is gay. Bourke, who has served the Scouts for five years, writes in a petition at Change.org that he has received “unanimous support from my Troop, Troop Committee, Church, Scouts, Scout Leaders and Scout Parents.”
My son is going through a Pokémon phase, spending hours playing the collectable-card game and reading about the mythical characters. Not all myths are fun and games, however. Below is a baker’s dozen of myths about LGBT parents and our children, all harmful in various ways.
The Boy Scouts may be shining a flashlight into a tent they would prefer remains dark. In April they ejected Ohio mother Jennifer Tyrrell from her position as leader of her son’s Cub Scout den, simply because she is a lesbian. In doing so, however, they turned a light on the impact of their policy, and helped show that the real victims are children like Tyrrell’s seven-year-old.
It’s National Coming Out Day once again, so I hope you’re having a happy day no matter where you are in your coming out journey. Here’s an updated version of a piece that sums up a lot of my thoughts on coming out as an LGBT parent. It has become something of a truism in
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.
Here are five “Don’ts” and five “Do’s” that I’ve developed to help potential allies when they first encounter LGBT families.
(This ran as my newspaper column on March 16, 2010. A few of the details on the McMillen prom case are a tad out of date, but the bulk of the piece still holds.) The Lego castle was almost done. It was a complicated thing, one of the most intricate constructions my then-preschooler had ever
I’ve been evaluating preschools for my son over the past few weeks. As part of my discussions with teachers and administrators, I always mention that we’re a two-mom family, and ask “Is this going to be a problem for anyone here?” I don’t expect anyone would ever come right out and say “yes”—we’re in a
