Family Pride’s Blog

For most Americans, the Fourth of July is a day of barbecues, fireworks, family and fun. For all Americans, it is a reminder that the freedoms we enjoy stand on a bedrock of struggle—that all freedoms require continued struggle. And for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer parents and allies, the Fourth is a reminder that our rights are not yet full, that our families are not yet treated with equal respect. Nationwide we’re still denied the freedom to marry and the easy ability to protect our kids.

As you spend this Fourth of July with fellow revelers, make a point to share with others how your family is still denied the full promise of America: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; freedom from want and fear; the ability to make important decisions about our children as we help them grow.

The people in our lives who love us the most—our extended family members, our co-workers and friends—cannot be expected to fix what they don’t know is broken. Be specific about how inequality hurts your family. Tell stories. Give them the good as well as the bad, because it’s our lives we’re talking about here, and we all have to work together to make change.

If you take a minute to open a heart and change a mind this Fourth of July, share your story with the 10,000+ readers of the Family Pride Blog by leaving a comment below. We must enrich and inspire each other with even the tiniest actions we take. Help us collect and spread the stories about how LGBTQ parents and allies honored American freedom by reminding others that those freedoms are not yet full, and that we must all work to get them there.

Enjoy the day. We hope it’s beautiful and inspiring for all.

To find out how to share your stories more effectively, check out OUTSpoken Families, Family Pride’s groundbreaking speakers initiative, designed to making speaking out for family equality all the more relevant to you.

Yes, I dedicate this cartoon that I stumbled across to all the lesbian moms adopting children.

I read a recent post on Pam’s House Blend about the Manford-Roach Family’s appearance on CNN. She did a great job and raised a few interesting points. The CNN article quotes Dr. James Dobson in a statement he released about Mary Cheney’s pregnancy.

The two most loving women in the world cannot provide a daddy for a little boy—any more than the two most loving men can be complete role models for a little girl.

Pam notes that this statement slams not only gay parents, but single parents as well. According to the 2000 census, of the 34.6 million households with children under the age of 18, 28% are being headed by a single parent. That’s more than 1 in 4 parents.

Of course, this isn’t a numbers game. It doesn’t matter if Dobson discriminates against 100 million people or against 1 person. We all have heard the now cliché quote that “an injustice to one is an injustice to all.” But when you lash out against some 10 million people (and their families), it tends to get a lot more attention.

And Dobson’s statement that boys need dads and girls need moms is in stark contrast to the more than 30 years of social science research on the subject. Despite what Dobson would like the world to believe, that social science research supports parenting by LGBTQ individuals. Being gay or straight doesn’t impact your ability to parent. In fact, Dobson’s continued distortion of this research is angering many of researchers he quotes.

Dobson and his organization, Focus on the Family, are charged with strengthening and defending families. Ironic, isn’t it?

It’s no secret that Family Pride is growing by leaps and bounds thanks to the involvement and commitment of our supporters. In 2006, we were able to invest an additional $262,496 in our programming ($859,568, some 77% of our budget, was spent on programming in total). Our website traffic continues to double every few months and our base is growing faster than the national debt.

So, it comes as no surprise that Family Pride is expanding its base of operations to include a Boston office. You can read about our expansion in this article in the advocate. Of course, we’ll continue our work at the national level and we’ll maintain an office in Washington, DC.

Jenn, our Executive Director, released this statement:

As the only organization that is dedicated to advocating for family equality on a national level, we decided to make a strong statement by expanding our base of operations to include a Boston office. It’s in our best interest to provide the friendliest possible environment for all of our staff and their loved ones. Massachusetts is one of the states currently setting the standard we would like to see all states across the nation meet in terms of rights and protections for LGBT-headed families.

As you read this post, we’re busy unpacking boxes and setting up desks in Boston. Thank you for making our continued expansion possible!

To start your Sunday off on the right foot, check out this article that was published in the Lower Hudson Online. It’s about Mary Keane and how she spent her retirement savings on buying a 12-bedroom Victorian with the goal of making it a refuge for lesbian girls struggling in the foster care system. 18 children later (five of which were gay, and three of which were boys), things turned out a bit differently. Read the full article here and look for Mary to be featured as a future Family of the Month.