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 […]
Family Creation The American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Sexuality, Reproduction & Menopause (SRM) e-journal has an article explaining, “What are the reproductive options when a same-sex couple wants a family?“ Law The New York Law Journal tells us, “Creative Parenting Agreements Still Needed With Same-Sex Marriage,” reminding us why second-parent adoptions are still needed even
I’ll start off my first post-vacation roundup with a few summer stories of interest: An Australian court ruled that a nonbiological mother had the right to have her name on the birth certificate of the child she had with her former partner, and that the sperm donor had no parental rights. California Governor Jerry Brown
Opinion The New York Times asks “Who’s on the Family Tree?” and answers, “Now It’s Complicated,” in an article notable for including both same-sex couples and non-traditional opposite-sex couples. Joan Oliver Emmer, a straight ally in New Jersey, offers her opinion on “Why marriage equality is good for my kids…and yours.” Janice D’Arcy of the
Adoption This Is Lincolnshire gives an overview of adoption by same-sex couples in the U.K. Apparently, there has been a 50 per cent increase in adoption by same-sex couples during the last six years, and they adopt 1 in 20 adoptive children. (Joint adoption by same-sex couples only became legal six years ago, however, so
A motley assortment for our motley families: Personal Profiles The Annapolis Capital profiled lesbian moms Melanie Morris and Angela Delano on Mother’s Day. It’s a run-of-the-mill profile, as such things go—but when commenters objected to the piece, editor and publisher Tom Marquardt almost published an apology for running it. His staff convinced him not to,
(I’m skipping my usual Weekly Political Roundup in order to bring you a slew of mom-related stories for Mother’s (s’) Day.) Steve Rothaus at the Miami Herald profiles Andrea Askowitz, author of My Miserable Lonely Lesbian Pregnancy, and her spouse Victoria Azpurua. Deborah Goldstein tells the tale of buying her Jewish son a pink, sparkly
Politics and Law Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill that will give married, opposite-sex couples “placement preference” in the adoption of children, when all other factors are equal. The Virginia State Board of Social Services voted not to approve a proposal from former Gov. Tim Kaine (D) that would have prohibited discrimination against potential
Just a few stories this week, but no need to wait: Personal Stories Sandy Boucher writes at Salon of not having kids, then becoming an unexpected grandma by virtue of partnering with a woman who was already a grandmother. West Philly Mama discusses her partner’s decision to go by “dad” rather than “mom.” Politics and
Personal Profiles South Coast Today (Massachusetts) profiles several gay dads and their struggle for acceptance. Pediatrician Maja Castillo writes for Gay City News about what happens when a child prefers one parent over the other, especially in cases of a biological and non-biological mother. Two lesbian moms in Birmingham, England have launched the U.K.’s first
