Five Do’s, Five Don’ts for Interacting with LGBT Parents
Here are five “Don’ts” and five “Do’s” that I’ve developed to help potential allies when they first encounter LGBT families.
Raising
Parents Increasingly Accepting of Children’s Gender Variance, Says NYT
The New York Times ran a must-read article yesterday on gender variance in children, “Boys Will Be Boys? Not in These Families.” Parents, says author Jan Hoffman, are increasingly accepting of gender nonconforming behavior in their children. “Rather than looking away,” she writes, “they are trying to understand their toddler’s unconventional gender behavior, in order
Lesbian Moms Sue School Over Alleged Bullying of Daughter
A lesbian couple in Albuquerque is filing a discrimination lawsuit against Rio Rancho Public Schools, claiming their daughter was harassed and bullied in fifth grade—including by the teacher—because she has two moms. According to KOB Eyewitness News 4, when the girl wrote an essay about her moms getting married in Iowa, the teacher “said that
“Mr. Mom” and Musings on Parenting and Gender
Over at Viva la Feminista, Veronica has a great post about why she dislikes the term “Mr. Mom” and when someone asks her husband if he is “babysitting” the kids. She writes, “When he is caring for his daughter, he is her father, not a babysitter and certainly not a male version of me.” Amen
Interview with Director of Film About Dad Coming Out at Age 75
Please enjoy this short interview with Mike Mills, director of the film Beginners, about the true story of his father coming out at age 75. The film stars Golden Globe Award nominee Ewan McGregor, Academy Award nominee Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent of Inglourious Basterds, and Goran Visnjic of ER. Thanks to COLAGE for the clip.
Happy Memorial Day – Get Your Posts Ready for Blogging for LGBT Families Day
Happy Memorial Day weekend to all! I hope you’re all setting off to do something fun with your families. I also hope you’re getting ready to post next Wednesday, June 1 for the 6th Annual Blogging for LGBT Families Day! Just post at your usual blog, and submit the post here to be added to
New York Times’ “Coming Out” Youth Project
If you have not yet seen the New York Times’ excellent Coming Out project, which showcases the voices, words, and pictures of a diverse group of LGBTQ youth, get thee to their site and browse through it. There’s also a good introductory article here. Their stories are touching, sometimes heart-wrenching, but always inspiring. (Stories can
May 17: A Day of Many Histories
May 17 has been a good day for civil rights. On this date in 1992, the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses— one factor in the declaration of May 17 as International Day Against Homophobia. (U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has issued a press statement about the observance.) On May 17,
Where Can You Find Pregnant Butch Clothing?
A reader wrote to me asking about “pregnant butch clothing”—maternity options for those who either identify as butch or at least dress a little less on the feminine side of things. My spouse Helen (who doesn’t identify as butch, but has that aesthetic) spent very little on “official” maternity wear. She bought one pair of
Quote of the Week: Our Job as Mothers
Tina Fakhrid-Deen writes at The Root of the struggles both she and her lesbian mother have faced and how they have helped each other through them. She offers this wonderful advice: Our job as mothers is to provide shoulders for our children to stand on and pray that they grow wings to outsoar us. The