Author, poet, performer, and lesbian mom Staceyann Chin spoke recently with Glennisha Morgan at HuffPo about her memoir of growing up in Jamaica; the intersection of poverty, homophobia, and race; her writing process; and her advice for prospective lesbian moms.
There’s nothing particularly lesbian-momish about chocolate cake—unless you make it for your lesbian sweetie and son for Valentine’s Day, as I did last week. A follower of the Mombian Facebook page asked for the recipe when I posted a photo there, so here it is: Chocolate Cherry Fudge Cake, a dark chocolate cake with a poured fudge frosting and jammy center.
I wrote the other day about The Purim Superhero, the first LGBT-inclusive Jewish children’s book in English—but two lesbian moms might be lurking in a children’s book about Judaism that was published 28 years ago.
Great news out of Kansas this afternoon. In a case involving two lesbian moms, the state Supreme Court ruled that a non-biological mother may be recognized as a parent under the law.
Germany’s highest court ruled Tuesday that same-sex partners may adopt children already adopted by their partners. Stephanie Gerlach, a lesbian mom living in Germany, who has been writing, researching and counseling in the field of lesbian and gay parenthood for over 20 years, sent me an e-mail explaining the ruling in the context of the broader situation for gay and lesbian couples in her country. She was kind enough to let me share it here.
It is a truism in the LGBT community to say that we need LGBT-inclusive children’s books so our kids see images of families like theirs. Yet with few exceptions, LGBT-inclusive picture books have largely shown culturally and religiously neutral families. Diversity of color has started to appear, but even those books don’t explore the families’ various cultural and religious traditions. Kids may therefore see some important aspects of their families in these books, but others are left out. Elisabeth Kushner’s The Purim Superhero, the first clearly LGBT-inclusive Jewish children’s book in English, takes a different approach.
I’m off to the City of Brotherly (and Sisterly) Love this weekend for the 2013 LGBT Media Journalists Convening. The theme of the event is “coalition building,” and we’ll be discussing topics such as aging, immigration, race relations and the labor movement. Amidst the serious stuff, however, will also be some partying, and you’re invited.
Lesbian moms Fran and Anna Simon “have almost become the de facto face of the civil unions debate in Colorado,” according to NPR. NPR’s KUNC interviewed the couple last week, where they spoke about the long fight for civil unions and their hopes for full marriage equality.
As we move forward to create a world of equality and justice for our families, I believe it is equally important to remember those in whose footsteps we tread. Audre Lorde, a self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” who was born on this date in 1934, is certainly one of them. Here’s a passage from her about defining family that I’ve always liked.
This charming new book, The Very Beary Tooth Fairy, is not obviously gay-inclusive upon first read. But it does contain a hidden gay surprise—and both the author, Arthur Levine, and the illustrator, Sarah Brannen, are known in the LGBT community for their gay-inclusive works. This, their first collaboration, is a sweet tale that any family will likely enjoy.
