In a major ruling today that will benefit same-sex parents, among others, the New York Court of Appeals said that a person who is not related to a child by biology or adoption may still be considered a parent if they and the other parent agreed to have and raise the child together—even if the two adults are not married.
A non-biological mother in New York—generally considered an LGBTQ-friendly state—is fighting for the right to parent her child. Lambda Legal is representing Brooke S.B. as she seeks to continue parenting and financially supporting the six-year-old son she and her former partner, Elizabeth C.C., had planned and were raising together. The two women met in 2006, and settled in upstate New York
Every LGBTQ History Month, I like to remind readers of two great films that explore the early days of out lesbian moms.
Last fall, I reported that the latest incarnation of Batwoman might become a lesbian stepmom. This week’s Batwoman comic advanced that storyline. But will it last?
A new academic review has surveyed the legal landscape for lesbian and gay parents in child custody cases, both with same-sex former partners and different-sex ones. It found that courts have not always taken into consideration the social science research that has found children raised by gay or lesbian parents are as well-adjusted as their peers
The Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled that a child can have two parents of the same sex, even if they have not done a second-parent adoption. This is good news—but behind it is yet another case of a biological mother trying to deny parental rights to a nonbiological mother.
Here’s a few of the LGBT parenting stories I haven’t covered elsewhere. Lots of good stuff this week!
Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of how far we’ve come. In 1995, Floridian Mary Ward lost custody of their daughter to her ex-husband, even though he had been absent from the girl’s life for six years—and been convicted of murdering his first wife in a custody dispute. Why did the judge not award custody to Ward? She was a lesbian. Now, a new documentary tells the sobering story of the case.
Politics and Law The U.S. Supreme Court denied Lambda Legal’s petition to have them hear the case of a two gay dads seeking a new birth certificate for their adopted son. The boy was born in Louisiana but adopted in New York, and the men wanted a birth certificate listing them both as parents—not least
I posted this newspaper column of mine last year, but I think it bears repeating as part of LGBT History Month. Enjoy this look back at how lesbian moms have been a central part of the LGBT rights movement since the beginning—while simultaneously waging some intensely personal battles to maintain contact with their children.
