LGBTQ Parenting Roundup
For your Friday enjoyment—a few stories from round and about on the adventure that is LGBTQ parenting.
Happy almost-weekend, all!
disney
Post of the Week: “How a Trip to Disneyland Changed My Trans Family Forever”
This week’s pick is from Alithea Howes, who writes about a trip her family took when she was 12, when her father was first transitioning into her identity as a transgender woman.
Building Bridges in Disney World
My family and I took a trip to Disney World a few weeks ago (before the hurricane), an end-of-summer hurrah before our son started high school. The rides and entertainment still retain their magic for us—but on this trip, I was also thinking about how Disney both reflects and influences our society, and what that means in the current era for a queer family like ours.
Two-Mom Family Featured on Disney Preschooler Show Doc McStuffins
The award-winning Disney Junior show Doc McStuffins has just featured its first two-mom family, with the moms voiced by Actual LesbiansTM Wanda Sykes and Portia de Rossi (the former a mom herself). And the moms are named after one of the most famous lesbian couples ever!
LGBTQ Characters Need More than a “Moment” in Children’s Media
Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast is a prime example of how not to please anyone when it comes to LGBTQ representation in children’s media. After enormous hoopla over the first gay character in a Disney film—who would have, director Bill Condon said, an “exclusively gay moment”—the moment was too brief and inconclusive for me as a queer person to celebrate. At the same time, the mere announcement of a gay character inflamed many conservatives.
Disney World to Host “Family Outfest” for LGBT Families
The Disney Channel just showed its first same-sex parents, and now comes news that Disney World will be hosting “Family Outfest,” a week of activities for LGBT families, this July.
A Little Fairy Magic
A little fun something while we’re all waiting to see if the Supreme Court will issue its marriage equality rulings today. I found this box of Disney-branded Kellogg’s fruit snacks at my local supermarket the other day—and was immediately struck by how . . . umm . . . friendly Tinkerbell and her friend seemed. Just goes to show you how much I know about fairies.
Disney Channel Show to Feature Two-Mom Family
A terrific piece of news today: The Disney Channel has announced that an episode of its children’s series Good Luck Charlie will feature a family with two moms—the first time a show on the channel has done so.
Finding Dory’s … Moms?
Ellen DeGeneres and Disney/Pixar announced Tuesday that they would be making a sequel to the 2003 hit Finding Nemo, entitled Finding Dory, and starring her character from the original film. Did anyone else’s gaydar start beeping at director Andrew Stanton’s pronounless comment, “One thing we couldn’t stop thinking about was why she was all alone in the ocean on the day she met [Nemo’s dad] Marlin. In Finding Dory, she will be reunited with her loved ones, learning a few things about the meaning of family along the way.” Could it be that Dory has lesbian moms or gay dads?
Animator Says Disney Open to Film with Same-Sex Parents
Disney animator Andreas Deja, a 30-year veteran of the company, spoke with News.com.au about the idea of including same-sex parents in a future Disney film. Surprisingly, he thinks it could happen.