Two mamas, a baby on the way, and abundant sunshine
Y’all, I am swooning over Jill and Erica’s maternity session by Amy Ann Photography! The session took place in Columbus, Ohio, and the group visited the wonderful So-Hud tree mural, the Buggy Works complex in the Arena District, North Bank Park, and ended the photos at the Book Loft in the German Village (locals shout out!).
Queer families traveling or living in countries that aren’t LGBT-friendly: what is it like?
My beautiful partner and I love adventuring. We go away several times a year, often to places that are quite gay unfriendly and we deal with it. We’re now planning a family and have been talking a lot about adventuring with kids. We’ve really valued the posts on Offbeat Families about travelling with kids and have felt inspired to keep an open but optimistic mind about going abroad with our future family.
“Bonus Mom” and other name alternatives: what are your favorite terms for additional parents?
Reader Brigitte recently emailed us about this comment that contains an awesome alternative to step-mom, “Bonus parent.” Clearly bonus [insert parent here] is great since it can be applied to so many relationships, but what other terms are you guys using in your families?
Paige and her dads: a newborn session in black and white
If you need me today, I’ll be busy swooning over these photos of newborn Paige and her dads. Seattle photog Jenny Jimenez is creating magic again, y’all.
When your 7-year-old announces, ‘I’m gay’
I was on the phone with a relative who had just discovered that I was blogging on The Huffington Post and openly discussing my son’s crush on Blaine. I was in another room alone (I thought), explaining, “We’re not saying he’s straight, and we’re not saying he’s gay. We’re saying we love who he is,” when my son’s voice piped up behind me. “Yes, I am.”
Feminist pastry party: Celebrating non-heteronormative relationships with baked goods!
My good friend Matt brought this Jezebel article to my attention a few weeks ago. So when I got to the part of the video in which the lecturer explained his views on homosexuality (using carrots and doughnuts as metaphors for male and female anatomy, respectively) by stating that “men were not created to sword-fight and women were not created to have pastry parties,” two thoughts immediately occurred to me… A pastry party sounds like a freaking fantastic idea!
Of family, fear, and Freezy-Pops: on visiting my daughter at school after I transitioned from Daddy to Mommy
Biologically speaking, I am not “Mommy;” I’m Daddy. But I transitioned a couple of years ago, and slowly the kids are getting used to having two Mommies. No one knows that I transitioned unless I tell them — I blend in.
Dykes and Tikes on bikes: celebrating Pride with my family
We celebrated Pride weekend in August this year, and it was a hot one. Saturday was the Dyke March, which we tapped into later in the day. I had zero intention of braving a crowd of 650,000 people with a fiercely teething and mobile infant and his fearless three-year-old sister and decided to lay low. Back in my twenties, Pride was about volume. Do more, see more, flirt more, be more queer.