Today is Grandparents’ Day here in the U. S. One might have guessed that such a commemoration would be subsumed, by definition, under Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, or that the holiday was a pure contrivance by Hallmark. Not so. According to the National Grandparents’ Day Council: The impetus for a National Grandparents Day originated […]
The American family is changing. That should come as no surprise to readers of this blog. The changes go beyond just the increasing numbers of same-sex families, however. Rosanna Hertz’s new book, Single by Chance, Mothers by Choice: How Women are Choosing Parenthood Without Marriage and Creating the New American Family offers a view from
Kim Ficera writes on AfterEllen.com about the demise of fictional tomboyish role models on TV. Although it’s easy now to turn on the TV and find a lesbian, “she looks more like a centerfold than a centerfielder,” Ficera says. “I watched [1970’s characters] Buddy and Jo because they were strong, independent and boyish, just like
According to a new study by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), LGBT characters will form only 1.3% of all series regular characters on the six major broadcast networks’ 2006-07 schedules. Out of an announced total of 679 series regular lead or supporting characters, GLAAD found only nine scripted (i.e., not “reality” TV)
While on vacation last week, I saw a sign at the airport for a “Family Restroom.” It was a private room, not a stall, with sink and changing table included. Nice idea. The sign, however, was clearly meant to portray an opposite-sex couple and their children. (My later reconstruction to the right; at the time,
A new college reference book, The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students, is the first to rate schools based solely on the opinions of LGBT students and faculty. The Guide looks at “schools’ policies, social organizations, support and healthcare resources, LGBT studies curricula, housing options, campus safety and general atmosphere for ‘out’ students and faculty.”
Like most observers of a war that doesn’t directly involve them, I thought I was safe. The “Mommy Wars” pitting employed mothers against stay-at-homes, accusing the latter of betraying feminism, didn’t seem to apply to me. While I was indeed a stay-at-home mom, I thought that by doing so as a lesbian I was transforming
There’s been some buzz around the blogosphere today about moms who are either bored by their children, or (less controversially) by the domestic tasks accompanying motherhood. Both Blogging Baby and MotherTalkers already have good comment threads going on the subject (and opinions are strong), so I thought I’d take a different approach, and share some
In the U. K., the National Union of Teachers (NUT) says teachers should challenge gender stereotyping and intolerant language as early as preschool. Pinknews.co.uk quotes the NUT’s report: Research shows that children as young as five begin to display disapproval of peers’ role-inconsistent behaviours and are self-critical when judging how they would feel if they
Unless you’ve been completely out of touch with lesbian culture in the past week (and if you are, you probably aren’t reading this blog), you’ll know that tonight is the premiere of Bravo’s new docudrama, Workout, starring Hollywood fitness trainer and out lesbian Jackie Warner. If you want more of the inside scoop, you can
