(No vlog this week. Helen’s been away on a business trip, and it’s too hard to sit there talking to myself.) Faith In an essay for Commonweal magazine, an anonymous lesbian mom discusses her Catholic faith, her and her partner’s decision to send their children to Catholic school, and the welcome they received there, in […]
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a case that explores whether student groups are able to exclude students based on “status or beliefs” if doing so violates the school’s anti-discrimination policy. President Obama’s administration is sending mixed messages about whether a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell will happen
The Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) would prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation and is one of the key pieces of LGBT-related legislation pending this year. ENDA applies broadly across the LGBT community, and isn’t specific to those of us with children (as are, say, adoption rights), but some
Gender Spectrum, which “provides education, training and support to help create a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for all children and teens,” has launched a beautiful new Web site with a ton of information and resources. Parents of transgender or gender-variant children will find the site (and organization) of particular interest, but other parents and
Not news per se, but the Victory Fund has put together a nice video of LGBT women in politics. In a constitutional challenge to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), the Department of Justice filed a brief supporting the current DADT law. Several experts on DADT are claiming the Obama administration misrepresented their views in the
Personal Stories and Opinion Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) is running a weekly series of stories about families harmed by the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). There are lots of families with children among them. This week they showcase Paul and Bob Ruseau, gay dads in Massachusetts. Worth a look, if only
U.S. National News The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee marked up and passed the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, which would provide benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. While the above churns through the system, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) concluded that it does not have the legal authority to
Just to mix things up, let’s start with some news from the Commonwealth of Nations: Celia Hannon of the U.K.’s Guardian weighs in on the debate about the merits of lesbian parents vs. straight parents. Her take on the matter is similar to mine, which is that the whole debate about which sexual orientation makes
Today marks the 11th International Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. My thoughts are with all of the transgender community today, but especially with transgender parents, transgender and gender variant children, and their parents. Here are some resources to help spread understanding: Trans
Here is the sixth in my series of quotes from Who’s Your Daddy? And Other Writings on Queer Parenting. I’ll be running them for a couple of weeks courtesy of the book’s editor, Rachel Epstein. I’m choosing the quotes I feel are most intriguing and thought provoking; I don’t always agree with the sentiments, but
