In conversations with our families, both online and at Family Pride Coalition events, the issue of meeting the challenges of our children with special needs emerges regularly. As your national LGBT family organization, we applaud your commitment to create the best possible lives and opportunities for your children and acknowledge that this journey is often fraught with challenges, unanswered questions, isolation and a great need to network and communicate with others.
To address this specific need within our national parenting community, the Family Pride Coalition has sponsored workshops for parents attending our events. Now, in the interest of broadening access to the greatest number of people, we have launched a Special Needs Online Community to further support and enhance dialogue around these issues. If you, or anyone you know, would like to join this list, please click on the link below and register for this online community. We welcome you and will continue to seek ways to support the courageous work that you do as parents.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FamilyPride_Special_Needs_Chat
The Los Angeles LGBT Family Alliance -- a collaborative of parent groups and faith organizations, including the Family Pride Coalition -- is seeking LGBT couples, LGBT parents (with children of all ages young, school-age and teens) and adult children of one or more LGBT parent(s) to participate in a public education campaign about our families.
This project is designed to increase opportunities to share our stories and present accurate images of our families and values to combat the current anti-LGBT climate of the recent elections.
This campaign will include a speaker's bureau to provide speakers for schools and universities, faith groups and more. In addition, this effort will enhance our collective ability to tell stories of LGBT-headed families through the media. Now more than ever, it is essential to promote visibility of our families, our lives and our issues.
Training and ongoing information will be provided. To participate and sign up for upcoming trainings, please contact Corri Planck at corri.planck@familypride.org or at (323) 848-8804.
The Family Pride Coalition, in partnership with Two Lives Publishing, is proud to announce the release of Welcome to Our Family: A Baby Journal for LGBT Parents .
This journal sensitively written by Two Lives co-founder Sally Lindsay and beautifully illustrated by Laura Shepard -- allows LGBT families to keep track of all the important milestones of their child's first year.
Family Pride is grateful for funding to support this project from the Gallagher Family Foundation and for our ongoing partnership with Two Lives Publishing, who have created and staffed the bookstore during our annual Family Week in Provincetown . In addition, 25 percent of the sales of this new baby journal will support the work of the Family Pride Coalition .
Please go to www.twolives.com to order a book for your family or others you care for. With the holidays rapidly approaching, it makes an ideal gift for LGBT parents with new children in their lives or on the way! This special hardcover edition is $24.95.