Books for and About Transgender Children: More Than You Think, Less Than We Need
Children’s books with gender nonconforming/transgender protagonists are rare, but over the past year or so there have been some encouraging signs of progress.
Raising
How Have Your Kids Responded to Questions About Their Family?
Most LGBT parents, I suspect, wonder what will happen the first (or the second, or the tenth…) time their children get asked questions about their family, such as, “How can you have two moms [two dads]?” I wrote about my own experience with this a few years back—and yesterday, Mom1 over at 2 Moms 2 Boys wrote about hers.
This was soon followed on my Twitter feed by Els Kushner noting her kids’ snappy response, “Well, why do you have a mom & a dad?” and MommieV saying, “Would love to see how single/choice moms handle similar.”
So have at, folks. I know many of you have similar stories and questions, and I hope you’ll share in the comments. (You can just leave a link to your blog if you’ve written about it before.)
New Site Allows Search for Health Care Plans that Include Same-Sex Partners
Need to find a health insurance plan that offers coverage for same-sex partners? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that the Health Plan Finder tool on HealthCare.gov now allows consumers to filter for plans that offer such coverage. Consumers can also compare the cost sharing and benefit choices of the plans.
As Kellan Baker of the Center for American Progress notes at the Health Insurance Resource Center, however, there is still room for improvement.
IKEA Gets to the Root of Family with Inclusive Carrot Toys
Yet another in my occasional but ongoing series on why I love IKEA. This adorable carrot family shows that what matters is love and happiness. The gender of the parents doesn’t matter–or can be imagined to be whatever the child wants them to be.
Washington Post Showcases Black Lesbian Families
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.
Dr. Susan Love Recruits an LGBT Army Against Breast Cancer
Since the blogosphere has been abuzz with news about breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure pulling funds from Planned Parenthood, I thought I’d post the slightly revised version of an interview I did several years ago with Dr. Susan Love.
The Matrilineal Principle, Jewish Identity, and Non-bio Moms — Plus a Giveaway
Susan Goldberg, aka Mama Non Grata, has just published a terrific article, “Que(e)rying the matrilineal principle,” in Lilith magazine, the Jewish feminist powerhouse. Susan questions what it means to be “born Jewish” when Jewish identity is traditionally passed on through the mother–and her sons are only biologically connected to her non-Jewish spouse.
An Ugly Shade of Pink: Susan G. Komen and the Politicizing of Cancer
As most of you have likely heard by now, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the country’s leading breast cancer charity, is revoking its grant to Planned Parenthood.
Percentage of Same-Sex Couples With Children Declines Slightly as Total Numbers Rise
The percentage of same-sex couples with children has fallen slightly since 2006—a drop that may in fact reflect a decline in social stigma, according to a new study. At the same time, the total number of same-sex couples raising children has risen, and the percentage of same-sex couples who have adopted children has nearly doubled in the past decade.
Discrimination Means Children with LGBT Parents May Face Extra Economic Hardships
There’s a myth that LGBT parents are all affluent—a myth perpetuated by many in the media, who tend to focus on upper-middle and upper class families when they do LGBT family stories. The reality is much different. Children being raised by same-sex couples are in fact twice as likely to live in poverty as those being