Supporting LGBTQ Families Requires that Black Lives Matter
Black lives matter. Black LGBTQ lives matter. And we will never have a just world for LGBTQ families until we have racial justice.
Black lives matter. Black LGBTQ lives matter. And we will never have a just world for LGBTQ families until we have racial justice.
Most of us have seen the New Yorker cartoon from 2011 that always seems to recirculate this time of year: A teacher leans over the desk of a child making a card that reads, “Happy Mothers’ Day.” The child looks up at the teacher and says, “I have two mommies. I know where the apostrophe goes.” It’s funny, of course, as it reminds the audience that yes, there are families with two moms (and kids who are really good at grammar). At the same time, though, I sometimes worry that the cartoon may reinforce the incorrect assumption which conflates all LGBTQ moms into two-mom units.
I’ve been delighted to see so many people baking bread while isolated at home during the pandemic. I’ve baked my family’s bread for years, and am particularly fond of this artisan loaf—it’s not a sourdough, but it’s crusty and full of flavor. Here’s the recipe.
Isolating from a pandemic isn’t how I wanted my spouse Helen and me to spend our 27th anniversary. We usually go out to dinner and enjoy having someone else do the dishes. This year, we’re stuck at home, properly distancing ourselves from the rest of the world. Still, our weathering the pandemic together says more about our relationship than a fancy meal.
NASA Astronaut Anne McClain has spent 204 days in orbit, sharing tight quarters with other astronauts. In a recent post, she shared some tips for living in confined spaces—good advice right now as so many of us are holed up at home because of COVID-19.
Gay Parent Magazine spoke with me recently about my family, my career, and the origins of Mombian—and the interview is in its latest issue, available now.
I love to cook, but sometimes the thought of making dinner after I get home from work feels daunting. I’m taking inspiration, though, from these professional chefs who are also queer parents. Check out a few of their recipes, and learn more about their lives and families!
The end-of-year holiday season is hard for me now that my parents have passed. Thanksgiving had always been my Jewish family of origin’s time to gather. My brother and I have continued to celebrate Thanksgiving with our immediate families and his wife’s parents, but the absence of our parents makes the occasion bittersweet. I miss them, too, at Hanukkah, when we always lit a menorah and exchanged gifts. I’m finding comfort this year, however, in a new project to uncover and preserve our family history.
It’s not news that starting a family can be expensive for queer parents. Many of us have lived that. But a new report from Family Equality lays out the costs for different options; looks at how income variation among LGBTQ people impacts their choice of option; and offers suggestions for addressing the imbalances.
Kim Bergman wrote her new children’s picture book about assisted reproduction based on “what I’ve been telling parents for 30 years to tell their kids. It’s what I told my own kids.”