It’s LGBTQ History Month, so I’m going to celebrate with a series of posts linking to historical stories, including primary sources, that help illuminate the history of LGBTQ parents and our children.
It’s no secret to most readers here that so-called “religious freedom” laws on adoption and foster care in several states are nothing more than permission to discriminate—often against LGBTQ prospective parents and LGBTQ youth, among others. The ultimate effect is that child welfare agencies are allowed to act in ways contrary to the best interests of the children in their care. When a leading LGBTQ equality think tank tried to place a 30-second ad about this on Fox News, however, the network refused to air it.
Nicole and Kristan want to start a family, and they’re taking us along on the journey as they venture into the world of foster-to-adopt care, facing the emotional and sometimes funny challenges of bureaucracy, childproofing, and patience. Watch a trailer.
As an LGBTQ parent, I sometimes feel like I’ve had to make things up as I go along. But Pride and Joy: A Guide for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Parents, gives queer parents and parents-to-be a handy way to tap into the collective wisdom of many who have gone before. The new book, by Sarah and Rachel Hagger-Holt, offers stories, advice, and insight not only on starting a family, but also on navigating the years to follow.
What does it cost for an LGBTQ person to become a parent and raise a child in the U.S. today? What are the particular challenges we face? I investigate those questions in a new article for the Advocate.
The governor of Texas has added his state to the list of those that allow child placement agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ, Jewish, Muslim, single, divorced, or other prospective parents based on the agency’s “sincerely held religious beliefs.” This will serve to limit the number of homes available to children in need. The new law will also permit LGBTQ youth to be sent to widely discredited “conversion therapy” and allow agencies to refuse to refer people to medically appropriate reproductive health services.
For the fifth Congress in a row, the Every Child Deserves a Family Act has been introduced in an attempt to ensure that no child in need of a home is denied one because of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Texas legislature has advanced two bills that will cause harm to children living in the state. One keeps transgender students from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity; the other allows religion-based discrimination in adoption and foster care.
May is National Foster Care Month, so what better time to watch the new documentary Finding Life, about LGBTQ foster parents and their children?
Mona Greenbaum, a pioneering advocate for LGBTQ families in Canada, talks about her own family and the progress of equality in Canada in a video for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Watch.
