When Natalie Perry’s dad came out as gay to her, her older sister, and their mom 20 years ago, they all had to stay in the closet or he could have lost his job as a chief judge for the Idaho State Court of Appeals. Watch her TEDx talk on life as part of a closeted LGBTQ family.
Happy Father’s Day to all of you who are fathers, have fathers in your lives, or use Father’s Day to celebrate one of the parents in your family in whatever fashion works for you. Here are some things I like to keep in mind as a lesbian mom on Father’s Day.
How do we discuss LGBTQ identities and topics with kids? Several experts and parents have tackled this question in recent articles, looking at it from the perspective of LGBTQ parents, LGBTQ youth, and non-LGBTQ folks.
Happy Pride, all! As parents, we know what pride is from the moment we first see our children. As LGBTQ people and/or their children, we also know what Pride is. In celebration of both kinds of pride, please join me and Family Equality Council on Monday, June 4, for #LGBTQFamiliesDay! Here are the simple ways to get involved!
Abby Wambach, two-time Olympic soccer gold medalist and FIFA World Player of the Year (2012), who is also lesbian and (since her 2017 marriage to author Glennon Doyle Melton) a mom, gave the commencement speech at Barnard College earlier this month. It’s well worth watching for her advice and inspiration on life, career, community, and leadership.
A new program from the American Military Partner Association (AMPA) aims to serve U.S. military families with LGBTQ children. The news comes just weeks after the Department of Defense launched an online professional development course for staff at military-affiliated childcare centers and youth programs on how to create safe, inclusive spaces for gender-expansive and LGBTQ children.
If you feel it’s your day, then celebrate! Whether you call yourself Mom, Mama, Mommy, Maman, Mamá, Mami, Momo, Momily, MaPa, Baba, Maddy, or any other parenting name, if you want to rejoice in your parental identity today (more so than any other day), go for it! Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can seem to underscore that LGBTQ families are different—but I say that’s all the more reason to reclaim the holidays as our own.
“Some L.G.B.T. Parents Reject the Names ‘Mommy’ and ‘Daddy,'” says the headline in today’s New York Times. That’s no surprise to readers here—but it means it’s time once again to highlight the spreadsheet of names I’ve been collecting since 2011 on this very topic. Check out people’s names and name stories and add yours!
Today is International Women’s Day, “a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.” We do that year round at our house of two moms—but the day has gotten me thinking about how I first learned about the need for gender equity.
Today marks the 19th International Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Even as our thoughts today turn to the transgender community, their parents, children, and friends, may they also turn towards what we can do to help end the violence.
