Two new, very different memoirs continue to expand our sense of what an LGBT family looks like. One is the story of a lesbian mom struggling against her son’s anti-gay Catholic school while grappling with her relationship to the Church and to her own mother. The other is about a butch lesbian and her experience being pregnant—the print version of a graphic novel first serialized online.
Grab your tissues and be ready for the tears of joy when you see these couples and their kids waiting for marriage licenses in Ann Arbor, Michigan today.
Great news to end the week: A federal judge just struck down Michigan’s ban on the marriage of same-sex couples! This was a particularly meaningful win for same-sex couples with children because the plaintiffs were two moms, April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, who began their legal trek seeking adoption rights, adding marriage later. The judge, Bernard Friedman, was particularly harsh in his criticism of the defendants’ argument that children fare better with a married mom and dad.
This week, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum filed a response in the federal case to determine whether same-sex couples can marry in the Beaver State. She supports equality for many reasons, but her remarks on the children-related arguments of equality opponents are particularly scathing.
Many of us have been there. As we grow our families, we realize we can no longer hide . . . the fact that we drive a minivan. Betsy of Turkey Baster and a Bottle of Wine wrote recently of overcoming her own internalized vanophobia in “Imposter . . . or not.”
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: In a children’s fairy-tale story, a noble young man may marry a princess, but chooses her brother the prince instead. That’s right, it’s the plot of King and King, Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland’s 2003 picture book. It’s also a major part of Daniel Errico’s The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived, a recent addition to the LGBT-inclusive children’s book genre. Does the new book bring anything new to the table?
I can’t help posting this photo of Stef and Lena from ABC Family’s The Fosters. They look like they’re having one of those days we’ve all had as parents. Please join me tonight at 9 p.m. ET on Twitter to live tweet with the hashtags #TheFosters and #gaydybunch, and rejoice in the fact that we have these two as role models, through the ups and the downs of parenting.
The two dads and their son featured in a recent commercial for Honey Maid graham crackers tell us about their family — while making s’mores, of course.
Want an excuse to visit the U.S. capital? Or do you live there and want to socialize with other LGBT families while being entertained by one of the funniest lesbian moms around? You’re in luck. Rainbow Families DC is holding its biennial 2014 Family Conference, “a day of learning, networking and fellowship,” on Saturday, April 26. LGBT parents, their children, family members, and prospective parents are all invited.
MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry, who has a new baby, spoke recently with ThinkProgress about motherhood and the need for better policies for working parents. As usual, she says a lot of on-target, sensible things — but I have to amend her on one point.
