“Children of same-sex couples are as likely to make normal progress through school as the children of most other family structures. . . . To the extent that normal progress through primary school is a useful and valid measure of child development, the results confirm that children of same-sex couples appear to have no inherent
Diane Silver’s piece “Children suffer when the religious right wins,” in the Gay and Lesbian Times is worth a read. She writes of the relief she felt when her son Tony turned 18, relief in knowing no one could take him away from her. She is Tony’s non-biological mom, and almost lost him to her
Helen and I share viewer comments on favorite Disney films, tackle neighbors’ assumptions about lesbians and men, and discuss two picture books we’ve enjoyed recently. One is Patricia Polacco’s In Our Mothers’ House, a new book for older elementary students that features an interracial lesbian family. The other, Tacky the Penguin, is an older book
Politics and Law The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled to preserve an adoption by the state’s only openly gay or lesbian legislator. Sen. Julia Boseman’s (D-New Hanover) former partner, Melissa Jarrell, the biological mother, was trying to deny Boseman’s parental rights, although a separate court had earlier approved the couple’s request for Boseman’s second-parent
It’s back-to-school time for many of our children. For those of you, like me, prepping our kids and ourselves for the transition: What are you looking forward to about having your kids in school? What are you dreading (or at least not looking forward to)? If your kids are not yet in school, or you
I’ve written many times before about the excellence of the LGBT-inclusive diversity-education films by Groundspark, the organization headed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Debra Chasnoff. (Here’s my interview of Chasnoff about her latest film, Straightlaced, and an earlier one about the 10th anniversary of It’s Elementary.) Now comes the happy news that trailers for all of
Here’s a little something different to read this morning: Wired’s Natania Barron recently offered “5 Tips for Raising Your Girl Geek,” advice for parents of girls who fall into that hard-to-define category with which many of us (me included) identify: being a geek. Yes, boys can be geeks, too, but that’s more common. Girl geeks
No vlog this week, I’m afraid. Busy with extended family matters. Instead, I’ll ask you all a question: When did you first know you wanted kids? I was late to the game. In my mid-30’s, after having a stable job and a house for a couple of years, I began thinking about it. I knew
Personal Stories Nina at Queercents discusses the various factors she and her spouse are weighing as they consider whether to have a second child. Schools and Education A federal judge ruled that the Gay-Straight Alliance at Florida’s Yulee High School can meet on campus, with the same privileges as other student groups, and does not
President Obama has just launched a National Fatherhood Tour, led by 27-year-old Pentecostal pastor Joshua DuBois, head of the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. DuBois (who is not a father himself) explains to NPR: “[Obama] grew up without a dad in his own home, but he also saw the impact of father absence when
