Two Don’t-Miss Videos About Three Dads
These two delightful videos will start your Friday right. Both show fathers who are awesome in different ways, and both have fun twists at the end.
inspiration
A Gay Dad Explains Why He Doesn’t Like the Phrase “Motherless Parenting”
From the “how could I have missed this” files: While studies show [and they do] that children with same-sex parents are just as well-adjusted as those with different-sex parents, they might lead us to overlook the full experience of adopted children, wrote Frank Ligtvoet in the New York Times a few weeks back. Ligtvoet, a gay dad with two adopted children, reminds us that “motherless parenting is a misnomer.”
Two-Mom Family Is “Coolest Black Family in America”
EBONY magazine has named moms Micaela and JaChel Redmond and their daughter Taylor the most recent “Coolest Black Family in America” in their ongoing series.
Parenting Is Love (and a Little Nagging)
There was so much good stuff going around for Mother’s Day that I neglected to share this great one-minute video from The Righteous Conversations Project, which brings together Holocaust survivors and teens to speak up about injustice. The video isn’t about the Holocaust, though; if anything, it’s about parental nagging in the age of social media. It comes via Keshet, the organization for LGBT inclusion in Jewish life—but I think it speaks to a commonality of many families.
Helen and I Celebrate 20 Happy (but Not Legal) Years Together
My spouse Helen and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary in about a week. Coincidentally, the U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing two cases on marriage equality at the same time. I’m hoping our happy anniversary vibes will sway them.
Hillary Clinton Says Parenthood Influenced Her Support for Marriage Equality
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton finally announced her support for marriage equality yesterday in a video for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). She not only cited her experience fighting for LGBT rights around the world, but also commented, “Like so many others, my personal views have been shaped over time, by people I have known and loved” —including her daughter, Chelsea.
Poet and Lesbian Mom Staceyann Chin Has Advice for Us
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.
Teen Wins NPR Show’s “Performance of the Year” Award for Story About His Two Moms
Drop what you’re doing and take six minutes to watch this video. Trust me. Noah St. John is only 15 years old, but won NPR’s Snap Judgment show’s “Performance of the Year” award for his story about his two moms. I love it not only because of St. John’s amazing delivery, but also because he doesn’t hesitate to show that LGBT families face the same ups and downs as any others.
Privilege and Parenting
Sometimes, a piece of writing just makes me think. Chase Strangio’s “Making Room for More Impossible Decisions: Reflections on Being a Trans Parent” at HuffPo is one of them. Strangio gives much food for thought to parents across the LGBT spectrum and beyond, and calling for a greater understanding among parents of all types.
Victories Big and Small
I think most of the LGBT community in the U.S. is celebrating the election results this week, and rightly so. As we revel in the amazing reality of four states voting the right way on marriage equality, we should nevertheless remember that these political victories are only the tip of the iceberg. They rest on the everyday victories of LGBT people and our families—the courage that we find to make ourselves visible, changing hearts and minds one person at a time. I was reminded of this by a post over at The Adventures of K & D, a lesbian couple in Florida.