It’s my son’s last week of school before vacation, and I’m thinking about our summer plans, so I thought I’d ask the rest of you what you’re looking forward to this summer. Anyone taking any trips? Starting (or finishing) any home improvement projects? Sending the kids to camp?
At least two of the entries to Blogging for LGBT Families Day were from lesbian moms whose children have serious illnesses. Jaime and Laura of Team Shimmy have a son with cardiomyopathy (whom I’ve mentioned before); Brooke and Liz of Lenox Slays the Leukemiasaurus have a daughter with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). I want to offer a special thanks to them for sharing their stories, not just on Blogging for LGBT Families Day, but on all the other days when they write about the good and the bad, the ordinary and the extraordinary, of their lives. They offer a gift to other families facing similar situations.
Because Brooke asked directly, “Hello? Any other lesbian moms going through this now? What is your experience like?” I also wanted to offer this post as an attempt to facilitate such connections.
It’s nice to know that even as accomplished a person as Oprah Winfrey is still open to learning a thing or two. In her interview with actor Neil Patrick Harris and his fiancé David Burtka, which airs tonight, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” the three of them have this exchange
Emmy Howe, my boss at my day job with the SEED Project on Inclusive Curriculum, also runs CampOUT, a summer camp for children and youth with LGBT parents. (And I thought I had a lot of projects going.) The camp is held at her farm in Conway, Mass., and Emmy says they have about 10 spots left. If you’re interested, pop over to their Web site and check them out.
In “Flip Flop,” Kathryn at Recovering Straight Girl gives us her thoughts on why changing one’s perspective is not necessarily a bad thing. She says people are wrong to criticize President Obama for “flip-flopping” on the issue of marriage equality.
The common media image of lesbian and gay parents leaves one with the impression that we’re all white and middle class—even though the data tell us otherwise. And while a few media channels (like the New York Times) have tried to correct that, there is definitely a lack of representation of LGBT parents of color in the media. EBONY magazine is helping to change that, however.
I don’t need to tell most readers that LGBT youth are at a higher risk than their non-LGBT peers for attempting suicide. Until today, however, no “Best Practices” have been identified or designated to help reduce vulnerability and risk among LGBT children, youth or adults. That has now changed.
How do lesbian moms celebrate Mothers’ Day? Here’s one family’s answer, via this charming short video, “Mother’s Day Breakfast in Bed,” by filmmaker and photographer Mike Shum.
I’m very excited to invite you to an online forum for LGBT parents and their children this Wednesday, May 16th, at 2:30pm ET, hosted by In the Life Media. They’ve asked me to join Zach Wahls, whose speech about marriage equality went viral on YouTube; Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida; and Dr. Abbie Goldberg, assistant professor of psychology at Clark University and author of “Lesbian and Gay Parents and Their Children.” It should be a great discussion!
Happy Mothers’ Day or Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there! We may come to motherhood in different ways, and approach it in different manners, but we are all united by a love of our children. Here are a few additional posts from round and about that speak to the spirit of the holiday:
