The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and its student clubs are celebrating October 15-21 as Ally Week. GLSEN says: “Ally Week is about identifying and supporting allies and asking them to sign the Ally Pledge to intervene in bullying and harassment throughout the school year.” Students and clubs are encouraged to register for Ally […]
In the U. S.: The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of a gay couple in California who sought to challenge the state’s refusal to issue them a marriage license. As the Independent Gay Forum points out, though, this might not be a bad thing. Had the Supremes ruled against the plaintiffs, it
Today marks eight years since the brutal gay bashing that killed University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard. His mother Judy Shepard, one of the LGBT community’s staunchest advocates, is using this day to launch the Matthew Shepard Foundation’s Get Out the Vote campaign. I had the honor of meeting Judy Shepard once, before I was
(This is a slightly edited version of the post I ran last NCOD, to favorable response.) Today is National Coming Out Day (NCOD) in the U. S. Instead of offering advice on coming out (ably covered by HRC), I want to flip things around and offer a few tips to people who may be unsure how
Kara Swisher, a veteran Wall Street Journal writer and lesbian mom, has launched an online memoir, “The Louie Chronicles,” on the Huffington Post. Swisher, who writes for the Journal about the impact of digital technologies on business and society, now turns her keyboard to the world of parenting and family. She explains: Centered on the
This Wednesday, October 11, is National Coming Out Day (NCOD). I don’t know how many people actually come out on NCOD, but that’s not really the point. NCOD can help those who are coming out find resources and support, and make all people aware of the ramifications of staying in the closet. These are both
The big national news this week in the U. S. was the ongoing debacle of Mark Foley and the reeling but still struggling Republican leadership. The media is now highlighting the debate over whether the Foley case is a “gay issue.” My take is that it shouldn’t be a “gay issue,” but it is. The
Garden State Equality, the New Jersey LGBTI civil rights group, sent out an e-mail today to supporters stating that: The New Jersey Supreme Court will hand down its ruling on marriage equality for same-sex couples on or before Wednesday, October 25th, the last day of Chief Justice Deborah Poritz’s service on the court. That means
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger showed his middle-of-the-road orientation this week. He signed one bill making it harder to use the “gay panic” defense, another that standardizes housing laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and a third that adds fair treatment of LGBT people to a voluntary pledge taken by candidates
Before You Were Born: Our Wish for a Baby is a book series by registered nurse Janice Grimes, who works in an IVF (in vitro fertilization) clinic and is an IVF mom herself. The series is intended to help parents explain genetic origins to children conceived by assisted reproduction. Each of the sixteen volumes explains
