Straight Parent, Gay Kid
Activists from the City of Brotherly Love Don’t Act so Brotherly
The city of The Liberty Bell, The Continental Congress, and Benjamin Franklin last week sent three gay activists, among others, to the first-ever gay pride reception at the White House. Invited by President Barack Obama, along with many service members, for crab cakes and music supplied by the Marine Corps Band, the reception at the White…
This Proud Mama Supports Gay Pride in a Myriad of Ways
Last year, I rubbed shoulders with church groups, PFLAG (Parents for Lesbians and Gays), and ) and “dykes on bikes,” as I marched down Fifth Avenue to support Gay Pride as the mother of a gay son. The actual account is on my blog: http://straightparentgaykid.blogspot.com. While there are gay pride events yearly in other major…
Summer Homework for Straight Parents: Finding the Right College For Your GLBT Child
Summer Homework for Straight Parents: Finding the Right College For Your GLBT Child With summer approaching, you may be thinking about looking at colleges for your GLBT child. (Or you may want to wait until the fall when the full-time students are back in session.) But with bullying on college campuses and intimidation contributing to…
Dr. Spitzer’s “Fixer Upper” Turns into a House of Tumbling Cards
In a letter to the very journal that published his poorly conceived 2001 survey, Robert Spitzer, M.D., deemed the father of modern psychiatry, last week apologized to “the gay community.” Calling his study “fatally flawed,” Spitzer apologized to “any gay person who wasted time and energy undergoing some form of reparative therapy because they believed…
The Minority Issue That Has Become Mainstream
On May 9, 2012, President Obama became the first President of the U.S. to announce his affirmation for gay marriage. Subsequently, he was featured on the cover of Newsweek as an angel with a rainbow halo. Really! Reasons for Obama’s Stand Did Obama actually “evolve?” Was he being political and…
Mi Psyche, Su Psyche
Call it karma or whatever you believe in, but I think it’s more than mere coincidence that Mother’s Day, May 13th is the same week as National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week.http://mentalhealthamerica.net. The two are closely intertwined. Domino Effect Mental health professionals have known for years that if a mother is depressed, her kids have…
Testing 1, 2, 3
In my last post, coinciding with STD Awareness Month, I wrote about the importance of discussing with your teen about condom use for vaginal, oral and anal sex to prevent STDs. Now it’s time, if you know your teen is sexually active, to urge them to get tested for STDs. But which tests to take?…
Advanced Sex Ed. for Parents of GLB Teens
Parents tend to squirm or blush in general when discussing sex with their children. As it shouldn’t be just one discussion, and should be incorporated into your family’s set of values, it helps to be more comfortable with the topic. But the straight parent of a gay, lesbian or bisexual teen has an even tougher…
It’s Not The Enda of ENDA
Buried in The Wall Street Journal, Thursday, April 12, 2012, in small font, was an article “Obama Won’t Issue Ban on Gay Discrimination.” It stated that Barack Obama won’t issue an executive order banning discrimination against gay and lesbian workers by federal contractors. For such a tiny piece, it has had major impact on the…