The always wonderful Nancy podcast from WNYC has just run a series on Queer Money Matters, about “the straight economy and how queer people navigate it.” Listen here to their episode on “Babies and Bills,” about the costs of starting a family when queer.
A new analysis gives us the most recent estimate of how many LGBT parents are raising children in the U.S., and which states have the highest percentage of LGBT people doing so.
Happy International Women’s Day to all women! The official theme for the year is #BalanceforBetter—but given the expanding notions of gender today, balancing gender is a many-body problem.
This past weekend, at the Mythic Championship professional tournament of the fantasy-themed card game Magic the Gathering (which boasts a $500,000 prize pool), a transgender, nonbinary player won first place for the first time in history. I’ve been playing Magic myself with my son for some months now, so even though my skills are nowhere near tournament level, I know enough to be thoroughly impressed. You should be, too.
People and families come in many forms, as any LGBTQ person can attest. Now, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) is using that concept to improve upon its already LGBTQ-inclusive employee benefits. The FORTUNE 100 company, which has approximately 7,500 employees around the country, is rolling out new benefits around leave, gender affirmation, family creation, and more that empower all employees and demonstrate a deep understanding of LGBTQ people’s lives.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) yesterday signed a bill expanding the state’s paid family leave law in a number of ways—notably, by expanding the definition of “family” under the law to include chosen families and by expanding the definition of “parent” to include foster parents and those who become parents via gestational surrogacy.
France’s National Assembly has passed legislation that will require schools to use “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” on all school forms, instead of “Mother” and “Father,” in order to recognize the variety of families today.
Sharon Mattes, known as Sharon Bottoms when she fought to overcome anti-LGBTQ bias in a legal battle for custody of her son in the 1990s—a headline case for queer parents—has died at age 48.
Valentine’s Day may not be a specifically LGBTQ holiday like Pride or National Coming Out Day, but it has long felt to me like a very queer time of year. And while it has become somewhat clichéd to say that “love makes a family,” the sentiment remains absolutely true. Love does more than that, however.
Here’s a thoughtful read to end your week: Aren Aizura’s piece at Mutha Magazine: “Chestfeeding,” about parenting as a trans, queer dad with another trans, queer dad.
