In addition to being the anniversary of the first same-sex marriages in Massachusetts, today is the International Day Against Homophobia, the perhaps unfortunately-acronymed IDAHO. Last year, IDAHO was marked by events in over 50 countries and endorsed by the European Parliament. The day is more than just a party, however. The International Gay and Lesbian […]
However you choose to celebrate (or not) this day, may it be a joyous one for you and your family. May we also not forget that the first proclamation of Mother’s Day in the United States, by Julia Ward Howe, was a call for peace and disarmament, urging all women to take up the cause.
I was feeling a little butch and a little femme yesterday: Morning: Built forklift for son using wardrobe box, duct tape, and box cutter. I had promised to make him cool things out of boxes after we moved, thinking of houses and castles. He of course decided to test my skills with something more challenging.
A few recent articles about LGBT families for you to peruse: “Gay Man Reflects on Struggle to Become a Father,” by Nick Grabbe in the Amherst Bulletin, is the story of David Jean and Don Babets, “pioneers in the struggle for equal adoption rights for gay and lesbian couples” in Massachusetts. “No Such Thing as
Moms Rising, the organization dedicated to building a “family-friendly America” through better employment rights and benefits for parents, is promoting a bevy of activities for Mother’s Day weekend. I’ve written before about Moms Rising, and noted the similarities between the parents-rights movement and the LGBT rights movement: Parents’-rights groups are working to change the playing
It’s important to keep things in perspective. Much as we rightly criticize the U.S. for its less-than ideal policies towards parents and children, especially LGBT ones, we generally do all right here in the developed world. The humanitarian organization Save the Children today released its eighth annual Mothers’ Index, ranking the best and worst places
If you are still searching for the perfect Mother’s or Father’s Day gift for your partner or your own parents, you need look no further than Courting Equality: A Documentary History of America’s First Legal Same-Sex Marriages. It is a glossy, large-format work, but to call it a coffee-table book is to do it an
Today is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, “designed to expand opportunities for girls and boys, expose them to what adults in their lives do during the work day, show them the value of their education, and give them an opportunity to share how they envision their future.” I find it telling, however,
While we’re on the subject of April observances, I’ll note that today is the traditional (though perhaps incorrect) celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday. In honor of the Bard, therefore, yet in keeping with the theme of this site, I give you two quotes. The first is from his gender-mix-up comedy Twelfth Night. Viola, disguised as a
April seems to have more than its fair share of awareness-raising observances. I’ve already written about National Poetry Month, the Day of Silence, Global Youth Service Day, and Earth Day. Coming up, we have: April 22-28: the Week of the Young Child, “an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young
