LGBT Parenting Roundup: SCOTUS Overload Edition
I’m posting a second roundup this week because of the many great parenting-related pieces after the marriage equality hearings at the U.S. Supreme Court. This should get you through the weekend!
nancy polikoff
Child Adjustment: Quality of Parenting, Not Family Structure, Is What Matters
Most of us LGBT parents know in our bones that the quality of one’s parenting matters more than one’s family structure in raising well adjusted children. Not everyone is so rational, however—hence the need for experts like Cambridge University psychologist Michael Lamb, who has recently published what LGBT family law expert Nancy Polikoff calls the “definitive article on child adjustment.”
Lesbian Moms Are Both Parents, Court Rules
In yet another “lesbians behaving badly” case, in which one lesbian mom tries to deny parental rights to a former partner after both have been raising a child together, a Florida court has said both moms are the legal parents of the child. Yes, Florida—which until just over a year ago was perhaps the most
Lesbian Moms: Building Character Since 1979
Last Thursday, I asked, “Does having lesbian moms—or other LGBT parents—affect one’s character?” Lawyer Nancy Polikoff left a comment that I thought was worth promoting up into a post. She mentioned that in the 1979 lawsuit M.P. v. S.P., an appeals court reversed a lower court ruling that had removed custody of children from their
The Impact of DADT Repeal on Servicemembers’ Children
The military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) ban on openly lesbian and gay servicemembers is now gone. In a piece for Keen News Service, I took a look at how repeal of DADT will impact the children of these servicemembers. I’m not the only one to explore this issue, however. Stars and Stripes magazine, a Department of
LGBT Parenting Roundup
Family Creation The American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Sexuality, Reproduction & Menopause (SRM) e-journal has an article explaining, “What are the reproductive options when a same-sex couple wants a family?“ Law The New York Law Journal tells us, “Creative Parenting Agreements Still Needed With Same-Sex Marriage,” reminding us why second-parent adoptions are still needed even
LGBT Parenting Roundup
Opinion The New York Times asks “Who’s on the Family Tree?” and answers, “Now It’s Complicated,” in an article notable for including both same-sex couples and non-traditional opposite-sex couples. Joan Oliver Emmer, a straight ally in New Jersey, offers her opinion on “Why marriage equality is good for my kids…and yours.” Janice D’Arcy of the
LGBT Parenting Roundup
A motley assortment for our motley families: Personal Profiles The Annapolis Capital profiled lesbian moms Melanie Morris and Angela Delano on Mother’s Day. It’s a run-of-the-mill profile, as such things go—but when commenters objected to the piece, editor and publisher Tom Marquardt almost published an apology for running it. His staff convinced him not to,
One Parent, Two Parents, Three Parents, Four . . .
Yesterday’s Boston Globe published a great article by Drake Bennett titled “Johnny has two mommies — and four dads,” asking, “As complex families proliferate, the law considers: Can a child have more than two parents?” Good question, and one I’ve written about a few times before. In particular, Bennett looks at lesbian couples who want
Known Donors: Cautions and Questions
A recent case and some news from Canada have gotten me thinking about known donors. A Santa Monica, Calif. court ruled in the case of Daniel C. vs. Karen B. that Daniel, a known sperm donor whom Karen had found on Craigslist, had no rights to the child she conceived. The two had signed a
