Straight Parent, Gay Kid
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…
Book Review for Steven Petrow’s Complete Gay and Lesbian Manners
Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue share a happy moment with Marlo’s niece Tracy (left) and her new spouse Tracey. Dilemma: You’re invited to a same-sex marriage. What do you call the two brides? a. companions (sounds as if they are in their “twilight” years) b. partners (remind you of a stuffy “white-shoe” law firm?) c….
Discussing Homosexuality With Your Kids
My guest blogger today is Leslie Penkunas, editor of nola baby and family magazine in New Orleans. Leslie has two children, ages 8 and 10, and blogs about parenting on her blog: theparentinggig.com Conversation Starter As editor of a parenting magazine, I review books or assign articles tackling myriad parenting topics—how to have a happy,…
“You’re Too Pretty To Be A Lesbian”
I hear this statement constantly from parents who can’t believe that their cutie daughter, who held the white patent leather pocketbook in nursery school, and is donning makeup and short skirts in high school, is gay.When your “girly girl” daughter “comes out” to you, please don’t deny her sexual orientation! Lesbians come in all shapes…