Some of the parenting-related stories that caught my eye this week, including a few items showing that more countries are protecting the legal relationships between children and their parents in a variety of family forms—but that many jurisdictions are still grappling with the issues raised by assisted reproduction and same-sex couples:
A shortish roundup this week, but all kinds of good reads:
Same-sex parents who have biological or stepchildren tend to be economically disadvantaged compared to their opposite-sex counterparts, whereas same-sex parents who have adopted tend to be economically advantaged, says demographer Gary Gates of UCLA’s Williams Institute. Despite the common media view of same-sex parents as relatively wealthy (see Modern Family, The L Word, The Kids Are All Right, etc.), Gates says, “a complete picture of LGBT parents in the U.S. would show a community with substantial socioeconomic and racial/ethnic diversity.”
Family Profiles Fenway Health, the LGBT health organization in Boston, reposted a piece by prospective lesbian mom Andrea about the journey she and her wife are taking to parenthood, starting with alternative insemination. Andrea also blogs at Little Lesbian Baby Blog. CNN profiled Frederic Deloizy and his husband Mark Himes, fathers of four. Deloizy, a
I’m doing a parenting roundup today instead of my weekly political roundup, since most of the political stories this week are about the Republican primaries, and you can get your fill of that elsewhere. An Iowa court ordered the state’s Department of Public Health to issue a birth certificate for a two year-old child born to
Family Profiles Tigger, a lesbian mom, writes at Moms Rising about why “Without Unemployment Insurance, My Family Would Have To Choose Which Bills to Pay.” CBS Minnesota’s WCCO This Morning each week “[rewards] a hard-working, dedicated parent who loves what they do.” Last week, they chose lesbian moms Tara and Becky Lien—but the notable thing
Here are some of the parenting-specific LGBT stories of late: Deborah Skolnik of Parenting.com writes at CNN of “The new normal: Stay-at-home Dads and gay parents.” A nice piece that shows the many different varieties of families and family organization. Allison Sherry at the Denver Post profiles U.S. Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Cory Gardner
Just a few articles this week, but they’re juicy, so enjoy! Denise Balkissoon writes in Toronto’s Globe and Mail about “The seven habits of highly effective lesbian families.” “A series of studies in Canada and elsewhere over the past decade has found that the children of lesbians aren’t just well-adjusted—they excel.”It’s a good article for explaining some of the
Schools The Sydney Morning Herald looks at what parents and teachers are doing in Australia to address hetero-centrism in elementary schools. The Buffalo News reports on gay and lesbian teachers—why it can be hard to be out, and why many nevertheless feel it is important. Family Portraits Mark Daniel Snyder at HuffPo talks about the true diversity
Politics and Law The U.S. Supreme Court denied Lambda Legal’s petition to have them hear the case of a two gay dads seeking a new birth certificate for their adopted son. The boy was born in Louisiana but adopted in New York, and the men wanted a birth certificate listing them both as parents—not least
A few items of interest to start your week: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the first Republican member of Congress to cosponsor the Respect for Marriage Act, has had her viewpoint on LGBT equality shaped by her experience as the mother of a transgender child (now grown), reports the Miami Herald. Can a same-sex couple who
