When Jaimie Kelton launched a podcast for queer families in 2018, she thought, “This would be a fun side project.” Now, 11 seasons later, she’s interviewed hundreds of queer families, published a book based on many of their stories, and has just rebranded the podcast to emphasize the range of queer family experiences the show covers.
Fashion designer and Queer Eye star Tan France plays one half of a two-dad couple in Netflix’s new animated preschool series Princess Power. He spoke with me about the show, how being a dad himself influenced his character, and the importance of representation and intersectionality in children’s media.
Kelley Robinson, the new president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), is the first Black, queer woman to lead the organization. She’s also the mother of a toddler. Being a mom and wife is “the center of everything I do,” she told me in an interview about her family, her work, and her vision for the future.
Ashley T. Brundage is a leadership and empowerment expert and an “open, out, proud woman of transgender experience.” She’s also a mom, and spoke with me recently about empowerment, parenting, and more.
Something Great … is simply great! A nonbinary child stars in this story of STEM thinking, creativity, and friendship that refreshingly is not “about” their queer identity. Author/illustrator Jeanette Bradley was kind enough to share a little about her inspiration and influences.
Drag queen storytimes are under attack from politicians and white supremacists. Drag queen and children’s book author Lil Miss Hot Mess has been a target, but also a leading voice opposing this onslaught. She thinks kids and drag have a natural rapport.
Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s award-winning picture book, And Tango Makes Three (Simon & Schuster), based on the true story of two male penguins who hatch an egg together, has been one of the most-challenged books in the country since shortly after it was published in 2005. Yet the current surge of book bans and challenges sweeping through the U.S. is different from anything they’ve seen before, they told me in an interview.
Kierra Johnson, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, is also the mother of three. She spoke with me for Mother’s Day about her experiences as a parent in “a big fat queer blended family,” her advice for other queer parents, and how being a parent has impacted her work.
Stacey Stevenson, the recently hired CEO of Family Equality, is serious about the work ahead. “This isn’t about a job for me; this is about survival,” she told me in an interview. “Through all of the adversity I have faced over the years, I feel I have been preparing for this role my entire life.”
When lawyer, policy advocate, and community organizer Alli Harper and her wife had their first child, they did what many LGBTQ parents do: looked for children’s books that showed two-mom and other diverse families. The difficulty of finding more than a handful, however, led Harper to launch a nationwide service that is connecting readers with these books while also pushing the publishing industry to create more.
