Milestones in LGBTQ Parenting History
October is LGBT History Month, and I want to celebrate with a look at some of the historical milestones—of laws, visibility, and community—related to LGBT parents in the U.S.
Politics and Law
Big Advances in California Assisted Reproduction Laws
California Governor Jerry Brown yesterday signed a bill that updates assisted reproduction laws in ways that will help same- and different-sex couples as well as single parents to create and protect their families.
What Does Hillary Clinton Think of LGBT Parents?
Hillary Clinton had some strong, supportive things to say about LGBT parents this past weekend. Some, however, are making much of her previous, seemingly negative comments about us. What to think?
A Change of Season
I love the start of fall. It’s still warm, but without the oppressive edge of summer heat. The nights are cool, and the air brings with it the smell of leaves about to change. It’s my favorite time of year for bike riding, when I can pedal past the first hints of yellow and orange in the foliage and feel the change of season in my bones. We’re at a season change in LGBTQ equality, too, I thought to myself on a recent ride.
All Adoptive Parents Should be Frightened by Alabama Ruling
The Alabama Supreme Court has refused to recognize adoptions done in Georgia by a nonbiological lesbian mom. Same-sex parents and all adoptive parents should be frightened and appalled.
Kim Davis, “Religious Freedom,” and the Impact on Children
I’ve been thinking about religion a lot lately. As a Jew, I’m looking forward to the High Holidays that begin this week, and as the Jewish mom of a 12-year-old boy, I’m looking forward to the start of a year that includes his bar mitzvah preparation. As a lesbian mom, however, I look at what is being done in the name of religion to thwart LGBTQ equality, and I shudder.
9/11: Still Remembering
May we continue to remember, even as we move forward to create a better future. Many of us have a 9/11 story. Here’s mine.
Judges Call Case of Nonbio Mom Denied Parental Standing “Sad” and “Frustrating”
A Maryland court upheld a ruling denying parental standing to a nonbiological mom because she and the biological mom were not married at the time of their child’s birth—even though they had planned and were raising the child together, and eventually married.
Moms File Florida Lawsuit to Put Names on Children’s Birth Certificates
This week saw not one, but two federal lawsuits filed to protect children of same-sex parents, with a suit in Florida joining one in Mississippi.
Last Adoption Ban for Same-Sex Couples Challenged
Four same-sex couples filed a federal lawsuit yesterday challenging the constitutionality of the Mississippi law banning adoption by same-sex couples. Mississippi is the one remaining U.S. state that prevents them from doing so.