From the latest “queer parents making a mark” files: The U.S. Senate voted at the end of May to confirm Charlotte Sweeney, a Colorado employee rights attorney and a lesbian mom, to the federal judiciary. She will be the first out LGBTQ federal judge in Colorado and the first out LGBTQ woman to serve as a federal district court judge in any state west of the Mississippi, according to the White House.
This was going to be a very different column. Then 19 children and two adults were shot and killed by a gunman at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Nineteen children and two adults dead. I have written about far too many mass shootings in the United States since I started this blog 17 years ago, and far, far too many that have taken place in schools. Here are some resources for talking about the tragedy with children, taking action to help the victims’ families and community, and furthering gun control.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) yesterday signed “Marlo’s Law,” which will ensure critical legal protections for families formed via assisted reproduction and is named after the child of the bill’s co-prime sponsor, a lesbian mom. The Colorado legislature has also recently passed a bill ensuring that donor-conceived people have access to certain information about their sperm/egg donors.
In 1989, I was part of the March for Women’s Lives in Washington, DC, as abortion rights were at risk of being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. I was still recently out as a lesbian, with no thoughts of parenthood yet on my mind, but the idea of the government forcing people to carry unwanted or life-risking pregnancies was as anathema to me as it telling me who to love.
The New York Times just published an article about J. Shia, owner of a vintage motorcycle repair shop in Boston. If you recognize her name, that might be because this motorcycle builder, artist, and queer mom has also been fighting for the right to equal, legal parentage—a right that a pending bill could help ensure.
Mother’s Day is here, with Father’s Day on its heels. As we head into the season of parenting holidays this year, I am thinking about both parental rights and reproductive rights and our urgent need for actions in support of inclusion and justice.
President Joe Biden announced he is promoting Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to become White House press secretary when Jen Psaki steps down next week. Jean-Pierre will be the first Black woman and the first out LGBTQ person in the role—and also the first Black or queer mom!
Ten years ago this week, Jennifer Gennari published a middle-grade book about a girl with two moms in Vermont during the battle for civil unions there. Gennari guest posted here shortly afterward, explaining how seeing homophobia had motivated her to write the story. Today, as the book is one of many being targeted in a wave of book bans, she has guest posted again to talk about the current climate.
You’ve likely heard the news: A leaked draft opinion indicates that the U.S. Supreme Court will soon abolish the federal right to an abortion. This in itself will impact queer people as much as it will anyone—but could signal a threat to other LGBTQ rights as well.
