Another entry for the “queer parents can do anything” files: Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, a professor at Stanford University, has won this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the 59th woman to win the prize (versus more than 800 men). She’s also a lesbian mom.
A love song about physics, math, and two queer women?
It’s true! Have a listen!
Everyone should march on D.C. at least once in their lives for something they believe. My spouse and I took our 14-year-old son to the March for Science in Washington, D.C. last Saturday to advocate for participatory, evidence-based democracy (and revel in the awesome humor of nerds).
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have made an advance that could someday lead to same-sex couples being able to use both parents’ DNA to create their children. Cool—but let’s make sure not to use this as a reason to prioritize biological parents over nonbiological ones.
Today, the March for Science in Washington, D.C. and hundreds of other global locations will encourage science that “upholds the common good” and allows evidence-based policymaking in the public interest. I thus thought this was a good time to look at how science has specifically helped LGBTQ parents and our children.
I’m still excited about the contribution of Nergis Mavalvala, scientist, lesbian, and mom, to the recent discovery of gravitational waves. Here’s a video of her talking about her life, coming out, and the importance of celebrating difference and taking risks.
The discovery of gravitational waves—predicted but not seen by Albert Einstein—made headlines last week. One of the key members of the team that found them is not only a brilliant scientist, but also a lesbian mom of color.
TED Ed, the educational branch of the organization that puts on the thought-provoking TED Talks, recently posted a five-minute video on “The History of Marriage” that is wonderfully inclusive of same-sex couples and aimed at anyone from older elementary kids to adults. I thought I couldn’t be more excited about their videos — and then I saw another, on a topic I couldn’t have guessed, that is seamlessly inclusive of a same-sex romance. I may even love this second one more.
Wait. . . . Isn’t this a blog about LGBT parenting? Yes, but sometimes parenting is just parenting—and with a son interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects, this particular LGBT parent spends a lot of time looking for STEM resources. Herewith, some of the sites we’ve been enjoying lately as sources for STEM videos.
My son goes back to school next week, and so I have education on the brain. While part of me is thinking about LGBT-specific back-to-school issues, most of me is simply thinking about the more general issues of school time. Among other things, I want my science-loving nine-year-old son to continue enjoying the subject—which, for my engineer spouse and myself, means supplementing his formal education with fun experiments and activities at home. Ever since I bought an iPad a few months ago, I’ve been on the hunt for ways to put it towards that goal (even if my son also aims for the goal of seeing how many enemies he can defeat in the Lego Ninjago app).
