November 18: A Very Queer Day
The week of November 18 should be an LGBT holiday, as I see it, at least in the United States and United Kingdom.
Starting
Join Us Tuesday for a National Adoption Month Twitter Chat!
It’s National Adoption Month, and this Tuesday, HRC Foundation will host a Twitter chat focusing on the opportunities for the LGBT community to adopt children in the U.S. foster care system. I’m co-facilitating, and hope you’ll join us!
NPR Misleads in Article on Pregnant Transgender Men
NPR reported a few days ago on a new study of transgender men who have been pregnant. The author tries to be sympathetic to the challenges they face, but risks confusing people about the difference between being transgender and being a butch lesbian.
New Picture Book for Donor-Conceived Kids of Two Moms
If you’re part of a two-mom family, like mine, that had kids through donor insemination, you may have had trouble finding books that explain to your young children how they came to be. A new Kickstarter project hopes to add to that small list.
8 Adoption Resources for LGBT Parents
November is National Adoption Month, so I thought I’d kick things off with a few resources for those just beginning their parenting journey.
Most Lesbian Moms Satisfied with Type of Sperm Donor
The majority of lesbian moms who conceived through donor insemination are satisfied with their choice of a known, unknown, or open-identity (child may contact when 18) donor, according to new research based on the National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study (NLLFS), the longest-running and largest study of U.S. lesbian families.
Marriage Equality Rulings Lead to Expansion of Adoption Rights
The glorious spate of rulings in favor of marriage equality last week is also leading to an expansion of adoption and second-parent adoption rights.
Mistaken Sperm, Harmful Racism
As a mother who used a sperm bank to start my family, and as someone who works in my day job for a program that addresses racial inequities, among others, I feel compelled to write about a disconcerting lawsuit that has been making headlines: That of a lesbian mother suing a sperm bank for sending her the wrong sperm — something she discovered only after she was pregnant. The added complication is that much of the lawsuit revolves around the fact that the donor is Black, while she and her partner are White, and had chosen a White donor.
Help Foster Change for LGBTQ Foster Youth
A new study has found that one in five foster youth in Los Angeles are LGBTQ — which means they are over-represented compared to LGBTQ youth in the general population. They’re also twice as likely to report being treated poorly and twice as likely to live in a group facility compared to non-LGBTQ youth. But a bold project is working on a new model of caring for LGBTQ foster youth, in L.A. and across the country — and it needs your help.
Virginia Aunts Still Waiting to Become Moms
Two Virginia women who want to be moms are practicing by being awesome aunts. Why aren’t they taking steps to become parents? They’re waiting until both can be legal mothers to their child in their state. The U.S. Supreme Court is (so far) not helping.