Dr. Cheri A. Pies, whose 1985 book, Considering Parenthood: A Workbook for Lesbians, helped innumerable queer women become parents during the “gayby boom” of the 1980s, died from cancer on July 4 at the age of 73. If you don’t know her name yet, you should; in many ways, all of us queer parents who came after have benefited from her work, whether we know it or not.
To celebrate Nonbinary Awareness Week, here are several dozen wonderful, creative nonbinary parent names and the stories behind them, all submitted by nonbinary parents or their spouses/partners to the LGBTQ Parental Names Project that I’ve been running since 2011.
Adults with LGBTQ parents have been in the media lately talking about the varied meanings of genetic connections and donor kin, facing discrimination, the pressure to conform, finding community, and advocating for themselves and their families. Take a look at these good reads!
Dr. Susan Love, one of the world’s foremost breast cancer researchers and a visionary leader in breast cancer advocacy, died at age 75 on July 2, 2023. In 1993, Love and her partner (later wife) were also the first same-sex parents in Massachusetts to both be named legal parents of their child, a case later cited in support of the state’s landmark marriage equality ruling.
Today is the 11th annual Give OUT Day, a time to show the power of the LGBTQ community and boost our collective impact by giving to LGBTQ nonprofits. Even small donations can have a big effect today, as organizations with the greatest number of unique donors may win additional cash prizes. Please give if you can, and help spread the word regardless.
For Father’s Day or all year long, I’m highlighting some recent picture books featuring LGBTQ dads and rounding up some older ones, soothing, serious, and silly. Find something new or be inspired by an old favorite! And a very happy day to all who call themselves a father!
Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld is the first out LGBTQ person to become president of the American Medical Association (AMA). In his inaugural speech yesterday, he drew on his experience as a gay dad with a newborn son to highlight “inequities and injustices in medicine.” He also urged fighting the “criminalization of care,” a reference to bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth.
I first wrote this in 2016, shortly after the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando that killed 49 mostly Latine, LGBTQ young people. Seven years later, I am reposting it as a reminder to remember, to teach, and to act.
What better way to celebrate Pride this year than with three new kids’ books about trans heroes—plus a new chapter book about gender identity!
Glamour UK’s Pride cover features transgender man Logan Brown, who was pregnant at the time and is now a dad. He spoke with them about his experience of pregnancy, birth, and being a trans parent. Click through to see the cover image and learn more.
