Straight Parent, Gay Kid
Evaluating a Supposed LGBTQ+ Friendly College
In my co-authored book, When Your Child Is Gay (Sterling: 2016), I interviewed J.R., born Jennifer Rebecca in Staten Island, New York. Jennifer felt she was mismatched with her birth gender (transgender) and so at age eighteen, started hormone treatments. When he entered a college in New Jersey as a female and told his female…
A male hands affected by blistering rash because of monkeypox or other viral infection on white background
You’ve Heard Of It. But What Is It? Monkeypox
Nearly 5,000 people in the U.S. are reported to have Monkeypox. But 20,000 people have it in seventy-five countries. The World Health Organization has declared monkeypox a public health emergency that needs an international response so it doesn’t become a pandemic like Covid. What Monkeypox Is And What It Isn’t The World Health Organization calls…
Why LGBTQ Adults Keep In Touch With Rejecting Parents
I’ve read about Mothers who give hugs to LGBT children ( “free mom hugs”) who are rejected by their straight non-accepting parents. Sometimes these hugging mothers even substitute for the rejecting Mothers at same-sex weddings. Of course, we all know that LGBTQ+ rejected children who can’t go home again form their own families with like-minded…
A Sticky Situation in Florida
To a child, a sticker is a reward. It’s a gold star on a chart. It’s an appreciation for good grades, a hand-out at the doctor’s office for good behavior. But take away a sticker from a child through no fault of his own, it becomes a symbol of shame. As of July 1st, Governor…
GLAAD’s 2002 Annual Accelerating Accepting Study Has Disappointing Results!
June is Gay Pride Month in many U.S. cities. It demonstrates solidarity for the LGBTQIA+ population and its allies as well as advances in LGBT+acceptance since the Stonewall Rebellion of 1969, believed to be the start of the gay civil rights movement. However, according to GLAAD, the main organization that focuses on LGBT+ discrimination in…
Ellen DeGeneres Packs Her Bags, But We’re Still Unpacking Her Message
On May 23rd, The Ellen DeGeneres show, after its 2003 debut, ended. Who would believe today that Ellen had a tough time selling the show, but she did? She had come out on her own show “Ellen,” a sitcom that ran from 1994-1998 when ABC axed the show in which she was not allowed to…
School Board Overrules Fl. Superintendent re: Yr. Book Stickers
Like any high school yearbook, Longwood, Florida’s Lyman High School, considered to be one of the best in the state, will have room for the usual autographs in their yearbooks: “Have a good summer!” “I’ll never forget our English class!” and the two-word message when you can’t think of anything else: “Good Luck!” What they…
Denial: What not to do when your child comes out
Coming out is fraught both for parents and their LGBTQ+ children. Your child has likely carefully planned what they’ll say, perhaps they’ve even rehearsed it in front of the mirror or with a friend. They’ve probably been thinking about their sexuality for months or years. They’re coming to the conversation prepared. You, however, might be…
Keep Politics Out of Disney!
You go to Disney because it’s magic and fantasy! Built out of swamp land, children and relatives come in droves (58 million tourists this year) to see animals and humans unite. It’s akin to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s masterpiece by Edward Hicks “The Peaceable Kingdom.” The children don’t care if Mickey and Minnie are…
Defeated by Jeopardy’s Final Question, but Not in Long Run!
Final question: “The only nation in the world, whose name in English ends with an ‘h’ and is also one of the 10 most populous.” Brainiac Amy Schneider was defeated by this question after winning 40 straight games and winning $1,382,800. (Yes, you read that right!) Her lead was upset by a Chicago librarian Rhone…