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
The New York Times is chock full o’ LGBT family goodness this weekend: Lisa Belkin’s “What’s Good for the Kids” looks at recent research showing that children of lesbian and gay parents tend to be more tolerant and less bound by gender stereotypes and assumptions. She relies heavily on a new book by Abbie Goldberg,
The House Education and Labor Committee heard testimony on the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA). Openly gay Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) were among those who testified, as did Vandy Beth Glenn, who had been fired from her Georgia state legislative job when she announce she was transitioning. A coalition of grassroots groups
Next Tuesday, Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Jared Polis (D-CO) will introduce legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Lisa Keen has a nice summary of all the LGBT-related bills poised for action in Congress. A new report from the Congressional Research Service Supreme Court says it is unclear whether
