A judge in Madrid, Spain, denied custody of two girls to their mother based solely on the fact that she is a lesbian. He said her lesbianism would harm them and “raised the risk” the girls would also become lesbians. “It is understood that (a parent’s) drug addiction, child abuse, prostitution, belonging to a satanic […]
A vote on the Matthew Shepard Act, which would extend current hate crimes laws to cover sexual orientation, gender identity, and physical disability, was delayed when the Senate suspended debate on the Defense Authorization bill to which it was attached. HRC reports that a vote on hate crimes may not occur before Congress adjourns for
A Circuit Court judge in Multnomah County, Oregon ruled Friday that a non-biological mother should receive automatic legal parental status over her partner’s biological child—that is, without needing to go through adoption procedures. If this wasn’t good enough news, the judge also found that “two Oregon laws (ORS 109.070 and ORS 109.243) granting parental rights
This week, the U.S. Senate is expected to debate and vote on the passage of the Matthew Shepard Act as an amendment to the Defense Reauthorization legislation. This legislation would give the federal government authority to prosecute hate crimes based on real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, as well as real or
This week’s Family Voices interview is with lesbian moms and lawyers NS and AH, who live in California with their toddler. Below, they talk about their extended family of over 20 nieces and nephews, sleep deprivation, balancing family and work, and more. As with the previous families highlighted in this feature, they are members of
Another slow week, though a few items popped up: TIME magazine has a long article about how some jurisdictions that have banned same-sex marriage are nevertheless endorsing adoption by same-sex couples. “But the gay adoption boom may be less about support for gay rights than it is about the urgency of finding homes for abandoned
The lower house of the Dutch parliament has agreed with a government proposal to allow same-sex couples to adopt children from abroad. Currently, same-sex couples can adopt children from the Netherlands, but not from elsewhere. The new law would also change adoption procedures to make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt from countries that
Children are viewed as less central to marriage today, although they are still one of the highest sources of personal fulfillment, according to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center. (Thanks, WaPo.) Today, by almost three-to-one, Americans say the main purpose of marriage is the “mutual happiness and fulfillment” of adults rather than
A slowish week for news: President Bush has threatened to veto a routine appropriations bill for the District of Columbia because of the city’s domestic partner registry. The White House claims “Under federal law, legal marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Federal tax dollars are not used to extend employment benefits
(Originally published in Bay Windows, June 28, 2007.) Is your child’s school inclusive of LGBT families? If not, how can you improve it? Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director of the Family Pride Coalition, recently spoke with me about their new interactive tool that helps parents answer these critical questions. What is the Rainbow Report Card (RRC)?
