I hope we not only read Dr. King’s words today, but put them into action throughout the year. Here are some resources for talking with kids about the holiday, and also about race and racism—conversations we should be having regularly.
Applications for scholarships from the onePULSE Foundation, created to honor those killed in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, are due January 31. Any high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student at an accredited institution is welcome to apply, LGBTQ or not.
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.
After a 2022 that brought a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation, reproductive rights setbacks, and other challenges for LGBTQ families, where should we focus our efforts to make progress in 2023? Several leading experts shared their thoughts with me.
One last roundup before 2022 winds to a close! Here are some of the stories of LGBTQ parents and our kids that I haven’t covered already.
What were the major advances—and setbacks—for LGBTQ families in 2022? I asked several leading experts to share their thoughts, and all agreed there had been many obstacles—but also reasons for hope.
![Photo credit: DrKontogianniIVF [CC BY 2.0]](https://i0.wp.com/mombian.com/images/ivf_purple.jpg?fit=1024%2C538&ssl=1)
A bill introduced today aims to protect access to IVF for anyone who needs it to build their family–like my spouse and I did. The bill comes in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn abortion rights, which many fear will lead to restrictions on other aspects of reproductive health care.
The Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) has passed the U.S. House and now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature. The RMA is important legislation that clarifies rights and protections for same-sex and interracial marriages—but does not guarantee that all states will continue to let same-sex couples marry. It also does not remove the need for many LGBTQ parents to take additional steps to secure their legal parentage.
Like many in the LGBTQ community, I am still grieving over those murdered at Club Q in Colorado Springs last month. I am also thinking about how much anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has created a climate in which such violence can germinate, and how much a purported concern over children’s well-being has played into that rhetoric. We need to reclaim the narrative of what it means to think of the children.
Today is Giving Tuesday, but I’m not going to ask you to give to any particular organizations. (There are any number of good ones to support with your time and/or money, and I hope you do.) Instead, I’ll once again share some of the ways my spouse and I have tried to show our son the importance of giving.
