Same-sex couples win adoption rights for partners' children in Portugal

in: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/same-sex-couples-win-adoption-rights-partners-children-portugal170513

 

Portugal’s Parliament has voted in favour of limited gay and lesbian adoption.

The new law will allow those in same-sex couples to adopt their partner’s biological or adopted child.

Ruling Social Democratic Party (SDP) supported the bill along with the Socialist Party (SP). It won with 99 votes in favour to 94 against with nine absentees.

Although same-sex marriage has been legal in Portugal since 2010 the new law will not allow same-sex married couples to adopt a child together.

In the vote 104 were against fully equal same-sex adoption rights while 77 voted in favor with 21 absentees.

Portugal was one of the first 10 countries to legalize same-sex marriage and is one of a few to put rulings on sexuality into its constitution.

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/same-sex-couples-win-adoption-rights-partners-children-portugal170513

Mormons, Evangelicals Ask Supreme Court to Ignore Science on Gay Parents

in: http://www.advocate.com/politics/prop-8/2013/02/06/mormons-evangelicals-ask-supreme-court-ignore-science-gay-parents

Amicus briefs filed by a coalition of religious groups contend that same-sex parents are unfit to raise children, citing outdated and scientifically inaccurate studies. 

 

In two "friend-of-the-court" briefs filed at the Supreme Court in late January, a group of religious organizations — including the Mormon Church, National Association of Evangelicals, and Southern Baptist Convention — asked the justices to ignore overwhelming scientific evidence that same-sex parents are equally as qualified to raise children as opposite-sex parents.

Zack Ford at ThinkProgress LGBT collected the key arguments from the briefs, where Mormon Church attorney Von Keetch alleges that same-sex couples make inferior parents. Ford also notes that the briefs cite the controversial parenting study from Mark Regnerus, who has admitted that his research methods were not scientifically sound, and which an internal auditor from the journal that published the study called "bullshit."

In the brief for U.S. v. Windsor, which challenges the constitutionality of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, the evangelical groups argue:

"By their nature, such policy questions cannot be definitively answered by science, professional opinion, or legal reasoning alone. Although we are certainly persuaded by scholarly opinion supporting traditional marriage, the truth is that social science scholars, for instance, disagree about the effects of gay parenting on children. Whatever the ultimate conclusions may be, “nothing in the Constitution requires [government] to accept as truth the most advanced and sophisticated [scientific] opinion.”

In the brief filed in Hollingsworth v. Perry, the case challenging the constitutionality of California's voter-approved revocation of marriage equality, the religious groups admit, "There is an active debate within the social sciences over whether some of these common sense judgments are empirically sound. But 'nothing in the Constitution requires California to accept as truth the most advanced and sophisticated [scientific] opinion.” Lawmakers — including the people of California — are entitled to 'act on various unprovable assumptions,' including those that in 'the sum of [their] experience' lead them to conclude that traditional marriage and the family structure it supports deserve distinctive legal protection."

The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on both cases in March.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/prop-8/2013/02/06/mormons-evangelicals-ask-supreme-court-ignore-science-gay-parents

Thousands protest in France against gay marriage bill

in: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/11/19/news/foreign/thousands-protest-in-france-against-gay-marriage-bill/

Tens of thousands of people have protested in France against plans to legalise same-sex marriage and allow gay couples to adopt.

Police said at least 70,000 took to the streets in Paris; there were other demonstrations in the cities of Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille.

They included Catholic groups and other backers of traditional family rights.

President Francois Hollande has promised to change French law so that gay and lesbian couples can marry.
Despite opposition from more than 1,000 mayors and the Catholic Church, his socialist government approved a bill on the issue earlier this month which will be debated by parliament in January.

France already allows civil unions between same-sex couples, but extending their rights was a campaign pledge of Hollande before he was elected in May.

PINK: Protesters in Paris wore pink T-shirts and scarves and carried pink balloons emblazoned with images of a man and woman holding two children’s hands.

“A child needs a father and a mother, he needs the paternal and the maternal side and with this bill that might not be possible any more,” said one protestor, Marthe Vignault. “That’s the way it is and we can’t go against nature.”

Saturday also saw counter-rallies in support of same-sex marriage.

The issue is one of the most divisive Mr Hollande has faced, correspondents say. The head of the French Council of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, recently described gay marriage as “the ultimate deceit”.

At present only married couples - not civil union partners - can adopt in France.

A number of European nations, including Germany, Sweden and the UK, already allow gay adoption.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/11/19/news/foreign/thousands-protest-in-france-against-gay-marriage-bill/

What does an LGBT family look like?

in: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc/49570012#49570012


Jennifer Chrisler of the Family Equality Council joins MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts to discuss.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Teaser for new gay parenting film released

via: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/teaser-new-gay-parenting-film-released181012


New film Invisible Parents hopes to raise support for the rights of same-sex parents

Invisible Parents

A behind the scenes trailer for a new documentary about same-sex parenting has been released on YouTube.

Invisible Parents is directed by Mike Buonaiuto, who also released a short feature film earlier in the year in support of same-sex marriage.

The teaser, available now online, features behind the scenes footage on the new film along with an interview with Buonaiuto.

The film is supported by organisations such as Pink Parenting and the Network of European LGBT Families Associations (NELFA).

Mike Buonaiuto says ‘In over 80% of Europe, the legal protection of same-sex couples and their children is not recognised in the eyes of the law.

‘With this project we’ve been able to build a team of professionals completely working on a voluntary basis. They believe that if you dedicate yourself to what you are passionate about and your talents, you can actually use those skills to make a difference.’

The whole campaign is designed to be shared on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

The film is released on November 5th.

Watch the trailer below:

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/teaser-new-gay-parenting-film-released181012

Irlanda do Norte legaliza adoção de crianças por casais homoafetivos

in: http://sul21.com.br/jornal/2012/10/irlanda-do-norte-legaliza-adocao-de-criancas-por-casais-homoafetivos/

Antes da Irlanda do Norte, os outros países do Reino Unido já permitiam que casais homoafetivos adotassem crianças| Foto: Guillaume Paumier

Casais do mesmo sexo na Irlanda do Norte agora podem adotar crianças. Nesta quinta-feira (18), um juiz rejeitou a lei da adoção de 1987, que discriminava casais homossexuais.

Ativistas dos direitos LGBT comemoraram a decisão, que se deu em um processo movido pela Comissão de Direitos Humanos da Irlanda do Norte. No entanto, o Ministro da Saúde, Edwin Poots, um evangélico que se opõe a uniões homoafetivas, afirmou que o governo vai apelar a decisão.

Para o juiz Seamus Treacy, a antiga lei violava leis européias de proteção de privacidade e contra a discriminação. Outras partes do Reino Unido já permitem que casais homoafetivos adotem crianças, mas a lei da Irlanda do Norte restringia a adoção a pessoas casadas e adultos solteiros – incluindo, neste grupo, homossexuais.

A Irlanda do Norte, como o resto do Reino Unido, legalizou o casamento civil para casais homossexuais em 2005.

Com informações do Huffington Post

http://sul21.com.br/jornal/2012/10/irlanda-do-norte-legaliza-adocao-de-criancas-por-casais-homoafetivos/

Casal gay registra filho indiano na Argentina em caso inédito no mundo

in: http://www.noticiasdeitauna.com.br/

Um casal gay inscreveu esta terça-feira o filho no registro civil de Buenos Aires sem a mediação de uma decisão judicial, um caso único no mundo, informou à AFP Maria Rachid, dirigente da ONG Lésbicas, Gays, Bi e Transexuais (LGBT).

“É o primeiro caso em nível mundial onde a certidão de nascimento é expedida diretamente pelo registro civil como filho de dois homens. Em outros casos foi feito a partir de uma decisão judicial, que retificava a certidão anterior”, explicou Rachid, também legisladora da Assembleia de Buenos Aires.

O casal formado por Carlos Grinblat, de 41 anos, e Alejandro Dermgerd, de 35, inscreveu esta terça-feira, em um cartório do centro da capital argentina, Tobias, com um mês de vida. O bebê nasceu na Índia, país que o casal escolheu para alugar o ventre da mulher que deu à luz seu filho.

“Nossa única luta era por formar nossa família. É outro passo no reconhecimento dos direitos igualitários. Este é um caminho que começou há anos e um marco foi o casamento igualitário”, disse Grinblat ao sair do cartório, enquanto exibia, ao lado do companheiro, o documento que atribuía o registro do filho aos dois.

Em 2010 a Argentina se tornou o primeiro país da América Latina a autorizar o casamento gay em nível nacional e o décimo do mundo, depois de Holanda, Bélgica, Espanha, Canadá, África do Sul, Noruega, Suécia, Portugal e Islândia.

Desde 21 de julho de 2010, quando a presidente Cristina Kirchner promulgou a norma aprovada seis dias antes pelo Congresso, “se oficializaram 5.839 casamentos em todo o país”, destacou a LGBT em 12 de julho.

Enquanto isso, em maio passado, o Congresso argentino aprovou por ampla maioria a lei de identidade de gênero, que autoriza travestis e transexuais a registrar seus dados com o sexo escolhido.

http://www.noticiasdeitauna.com.br//

Tips for kids with gay parents who get teased

in: http://proudparenting.com/node/16907

All children will likely get teased at some point, and there isn’t much that that parents can do about it. However, when a child has gay parents, it often opens the door to teasing that is much more targeted and intense, and that can prove difficult to manage, says parent advocate Sue Scheff (pictured).

If you’re a gay parent who is concerned that their child is getting teased, encourage your child to:

• Speak to a teacher: There are rules against bullying in schools today. Make your child aware that teasing or bullying him because his parents are gay is a hate crime and one that will not be tolerated in the school.
• Understand their situation: Urge your child to talk to you about any questions that they might have about your relationship. The more children understand their family, the more comfortable they can be in their own skin.
• Be educated: Many children are uneducated about gay couples and may feel like they are the only children with gay parents. Help your child to learn about other gay families and be educated enough to answer common questions that may arise.

Sue Scheff is an Author and Parent Advocate. She founded Parents' Universal Resource Experts in 2001. P.U.R.E. is an organization that helps parents with struggling teens. Learn more at www.suescheff.com and email Sue at suescheffauthor@gmail.com.
[via Examiner.com]

http://proudparenting.com/node/16907

Study: Kids Of Lesbian Moms "Doing Very Well"

in: http://www.buzzfeed.com/

Last week, a sociologist wrote that children of moms in same-sex relationships had trouble later in life. But now, another research team says one common critique of lesbian parenting — the lack of male role models — actually doesn't hurt kids.

Source: Dubova  /  via: shutterstock.com

Authors and politicians have long voiced concern that children — especially sons — of lesbian parents might be damaged by the lack of male role models in their lives. So researchers from the 

Authors and politicians have long voiced concern that children — especially sons — of lesbian parents might be damaged by the lack of male role models in their lives. So researchers from the University of Amsterdam and UCLA's Williams Institute decided to investigate whether the absence of a man to look up to actually harmed lesbian couples' kids. They found it actually had very little effect — and their work may call into question recent research that showed children of lesbians struggling later in life.

Study author Henny Bos and her team looked at 78 adolescent children of lesbian parents. They asked the teens if they had a close male role model in their lives. Then, because some psychologists have speculated that boys without men around fail to learn masculine behavior, they asked the kids how much they identified with stereotypically masculine traits (like competitiveness) and stereotypically feminine ones (like being understanding). Finally, they gave both the teenagers and their mothers standard questionnaires designed to measure the teens' psychological adjustment.

They found that having a male role model didn't affect whether girls or boys identified with traits stereotypically assigned to their gender — girls were more likely to identify with feminine traits than boys were, and both genders were actually equally likely to identify with masculine ones, regardless of whether they'd grown up with a man around. Male role models didn't seem to affect psychological adjustment, either — teens without them were no more likely to be anxious, depressed, or angry than teens who did have them.

The study authors note that this matters because the lack of a male role model has been used as a justification for barring lesbian couples from adopting. And lesbian parents have come in for criticism lately in the wake of last week's paper by sociologist Mark Regnerus, which found psychological and social problems among adult children of moms who had same-sex relationships. That paper was held up by some conservatives as an argument against gay marriage — Maggie Gallagher, founder of the National Organization for Marriage, said it showed that "the intact, married biological family, a mom and a dad" was the "gold standard" for raising kids. But if the male-role-model study is accurate, a mom and a mom may be just as good.

Study co-author Nanette Gartrell told BuzzFeed Shift that her team's research took a very different approach than Regerus did. Her team's was, she said, "the only study of its kind" that began at conception and followed families in real time throughout their children's lives, asking about experiences as they happened. This structure, she says, gives her research "an entirely different level of validity" than Regnerus's.

She was hesitant to make a direct comparison between her team's results and his, because her study looked exclusively at lesbian parents who were out before they had children, while Regnerus didn't study sexual orientation per se — his research looked at parents who had ever had a same-sex relationship, regardless of whether they currently or ever identified as gay. What Gartrell could say was that in her team's work over the years, which has been the subject of numerous papers before the most recent one, they'd found "the adolescents are doing very well."

She added that this wasn't only the case for children from intact lesbian families. About half the couples who were together at the beginning of the study have now separated. But, she noted, three quarters of the separated lesbian parents have continued to co-parent, which likely will result in more stability and better outcomes for their kids than if they failed to share parenting duties.

Regnerus himself was doubtful about whether Bos and Gartrell's team had really found anything about children of lesbian parents in general. He told BuzzFeed Shift that their study could help scholars "learn more about these 78 people," but "whether we have learned more about the experience of children from all lesbian parents or households [...] is much less likely." He also doubted whether a "sample of largely well-educated, mostly-white women" could be representative of lesbian parents nationwide — the team's sample was 87% white and about 57% middle-class, with 18% of families identifying as working-class and about 25% identifying as upper or upper-middle.

Gartrell, meanwhile, argues that her team's sample size isn't small for such a long-term study. Data collection began in 1986, before computer technology and the internet made data from large samples easier to gather. Now that such technology is available, she says there are many larger studies in the works — her team looks forward to more data on same-sex parents very soon.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/

Utah school pulls picture book about lesbian parents from shelves

in: http://www.latimes.com/

A picture book aimed at pre-reading children has raised the ire of two dozen parents of students at a Utah elementary school who say that its subject matter is decidely adult: the story of a lesbian couple raising children.

The book, “In Our Mother’s House” by Patricia Polacco, was removed from the library shelves at Windridge Elementary School near Salt Lake City after parents raised objections about the suitability of the book’s social message.

The book is now kept behind the librarian’s counter and can only be checked out once a student presents a permission slip from a parent, said district spokesman Chris Williams.

The brouhaha started in January, when the mother of a kindergarten student became upset after her child checked out the book and brought it home. The mother and her husband alerted elementary school officials, Williams said.

“She didn’t think it was appropriate for her child or any other child in the elementary school,” Williams told the Los Angeles Times.

School district officials decided to make the book accessible only to older children, but the mother objected to that compromise. “She wasn’t happy with that decision,” Williams said. “She came back to the district with a petition signed by 25 parents to remove the book.

A seven-member committee determined that the book didn’t align with district curriculum standards. The committee, composed of teachers, administrators and parents, voted to place the book in a special check-out area.

Williams said the book – the cover shows two women holding three children of different ethnicities – was originally purchased in part because a student who attended Windridge elementary has two mothers and librarians wanted to foster inclusion.

According to a website for the book, Polacco’s book encourages people to try to understand people who aren’t like them.

"Marmee, Meema, and the kids are just like any other family on the block. In their beautiful house, they cook dinner together, they laugh together, and they dance together. But some of the other families don’t accept them. They say they are different. How can a family have two moms and no dad?" a description of the book states. " But Marmee and Meema’s house is full of love. And they teach their children that different doesn’t mean wrong. And no matter how many moms or dads they have, they are everything a family is meant to be."

Rights activists blasted the decision to remove the book from library shelves.

“Parents have and should take seriously the importance of speaking to their children about their families, their history and their deeply held personal values. But as a community, we have a responsibility to hold open a space for children to accurately understand families, history and personal values as they actually exist in our diverse community," Brandie Balken, executive director of Equality Utah, told the Salt Lake Tribune.

Years ago, parents complained about violence in a 1971 book titled "Grendel," by John Gardner. John Steinbeck’s "Of Mice and Men," along with J. K. Rowling’s "Harry Potter" series and Stephanie Meyer’s "Twilight" series, have also brought parental backlash. But none of those books were never removed from shelves, Williams said.

“Parents do have opportunity approach the school and meet with officials and say ‘I have objection to this book’ and that’s what this parent did,” he said.

http://www.latimes.com/

UK to allow lesbian couples equal access to IVF

in: http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/10083

Same-sex couples will have the same access to IVF treatment as heterosexual couples under guidelines issued by the UK’s health advisory service, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The upper age limit for government-funded IVF will rise by three years to 42.  

Government health authorities in England and Wales are to fund intra-uterine insemination (IUI), using donor sperm, for lesbians. If they fail to conceive after six cycles of IUI, they will considered for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), which is much more costly and involved.

The health system in the UK normally pays for up to three cycles of IVF for couples who have been trying to get pregnant for at least three years. Previously, women had to be under age 40 to qualify. Many government-funded clinics already treat gay and lesbian couples, but the guidelines now make that explicit, though they are not binding.

The London Telegraph points out that the change follows a relaxation in the law, made under Labour in 2008, to put same-sex parenting on an equal legal footing. Under the the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008, IVF clinics no longer had to take into account a child’s need for a father or a male role model before agreeing to treatment. Same-sex couples or single women now need only show they can provide "supportive parenting".

In the wake of this, there was boom in lesbian couples undergoing IVF. The figure rose from 178 in 2007 to 417 in 2010.

Josephine Quintavalle, founder of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, described the same-sex move as "absurd".

"We are not prepared to accept what constitutes fertility from a biological perspective. Fertility treatment is very important but in this case what we are trying to do is rewrite biology."

http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/10083

Homossexualidade pode levar a pena de morte em 5 países

in: http://noticias.terra.com.br/

O casamento entre duas pessoas do mesmo sexo é permitido em dez países, enquanto a homossexualidade é ilegal em 78 nações e pode implicar em pena de morte em cinco, informou um estudo global publicado nesta terça-feira.

O documento "Relatório sobre Homofobia Patrocinada pelo Estado", divulgado hoje pela Associação Internacional de Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais e Transexuais (ILGA) mostra um panorama sobre a situação da homossexualidade no mundo.

O texto revela que 113 países autorizam a homossexualidade, enquanto 78 consideram que praticar sexo entre duas pessoas do mesmo gênero constitui um ato ilegal, entre eles, dez do Caribe.

Entre as nações que penalizam a homossexualidade com pena de morte estão Irã, Arábia Saudita, e Iêmen, Mauritânia, Sudão, as regiões do norte da Nigéria e o sul da Somália.

Enquanto isso, quinze países fixaram parâmetros para determinar a idade de consentimento para relações sexuais heterossexuais e homossexuais. Contudo, o relatório também mostra que 24 nações proíbem a incitação ao ódio baseado na orientação sexual.

Com relação ao reconhecimento de direitos, dez nações permitem o casamento homossexual. Por ordem cronológica são eles: Holanda, Bélgica, Espanha, Canadá, África do Sul, Noruega, Suécia, Portugal, Argentina, e Islândia. Em outros 14 países, os casais do mesmo sexo contam com o reconhecimento de suas uniões civis, com direitos similares aos casais heterossexuais.

A adoção de crianças por casais homossexuais é admitida em 12 nações em igualdade de condições que os casais de sexo diferente, entre eles o Brasil, e 18 possuem legislação específica para as pessoas que passaram por um processo de mudança de gênero.

A Europa é a região do mundo onde os direitos dos homossexuais são mais atendidos. Só o norte do Chipre proíbe as uniões do mesmo gênero. No entanto, os homossexuais europeus ainda sofrem discriminação e violência, além de não terem a liberdade de expressão e demonstração de identidade totalmente reconhecidas.

Na América Latina, o maior problema enfrentado pelos homossexuais é a violência, pois a maioria dos países não possui uma legislação que proíbe a homofobia, o que permite que muitos crimes fiquem impunes.

Metade dos países da Ásia ainda criminaliza a homossexualidade e na África "a homofobia patrocinada pelo Estado aumentou na última década", disse a ILGA.

http://noticias.terra.com.br/

Lesbian couple faces legal hurdles in raising quadruplets

in: http://www.usatoday.com/

It won't be long before 1-year-old quadruplets Derrick, Brianna, Anthony and Cason begin speaking their first words and calling out for mommy.

• 
  By John David Emmett, Gannett
  Sheri Green, left, and Laura Cavin care for their quadruplets at home in Naples, Fla., on March 28.

Enlarge

By John David Emmett, Gannett

Sheri Green, left, and Laura Cavin care for their quadruplets at home in Naples, Fla., on March 28.

But it may be quite some time before society and the legal system recognize same-sex couple Laura Cavin and Sheri Green, of Naples, Fla., in the same way.

Through the wonders of modern medicine, each woman carried two of the quadruplets, but they must adopt the other two to each have legal custody of all four.

Biologically, Derrick, Brianna, Anthony and Cason are Sheri's children. They were conceived from her eggs and donor sperm through in vitro fertilization when Laura and Sheri decided to start a family together. Two of the fertilized eggs were implanted into Laura and two into Sheri to improve the likelihood that all four would develop into successful pregnancies, the chance of which was less than 2 percent.

Both women became pregnant.

But the mothers only have legal rights to the two children each carried and delivered. To get full legal rights to all four children, Sheri and Laura must adopt each other's "birth children" through a second-parent adoption process; for more than 30 years, however, Florida banned adoption by gay people.

A 2010 Florida appeals court ruling upheld a Miami-Dade County judge's decision that called the ban unconstitutional. Since that ruling, more than 150 cases have been approved in Miami-Dade. There are at least three cases pending in Lee. Because filings aren't made public, it's unclear if there are others in Southwest Florida.

"It is uncertain when the cases will be decided," said the couple's Cape Coral-based attorney Harold Eskin, "but provided the outcomes are favorable, this will set the stage for others to follow and future cases should take less time."

State officials have said they won't challenge the appellate ruling.

Challenges beyond parenting

The fact that each mother can't legally claim all four children presents challenges on a number of fronts for the family.

"It would create more stability in families if the legislation was to keep up with societal changes," Eskin said. "It creates a hole or a gap, preventing children from getting the benefits of both parents. There are a lot of implications that come into play, not just parental rights."

Sheri, 38, works full time and has health insurance through her job as a physician's assistant. It covers Anthony and Cason, the two she carried. Laura, 28, is also a physician's assistant, but works part time so she doesn't have insurance. That means she receives Medicaid for Brianna and Derrick. Laura goes without coverage for herself because in order to qualify for Medicaid, she was asked to fill out required paternity paperwork listing the father as unknown. She refused. "I don't want it to look like they were an accident," she says.

There are also concerns about what could happen should one or both of the women die or become incapacitated. They have wills that appoint each other as legal guardians of their birth children, but this does not ensure the children will be kept together.

Dreams come true

Becoming a mother wasn't easy for either woman. They always knew they wanted children together. So about five years ago, they sought assistance from Dr. Craig Sweet, a reproductive endocrinologist and medical director of Specialists in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery in Fort Myers. Sheri provided her eggs, and a single embryo was transplanted into Laura's uterus. The embryo split and ultimately resulted in a twin pregnancy.

At 28 weeks, due to a rare condition known as twin-to-twin transfusion, Laura and Sheri lost the boys they had named Aiden and Branden.

"I was upset and sad; I turned more inward," Laura recalled. "Sheri was very angry. She felt wronged."

As they emerged from the tragedy, Laura and Sheri decided they wanted to try again.

"They came back to me having sustained the loss with so much optimism and vision to have a family together, I was really struck by their resolve," Sweet said.

Once again, they used Sheri's eggs, but this time, due to the loss of the twins, Sweet transplanted two fertilized eggs into each woman. Defying the odds, both women became pregnant.

"The chance that all four transferred embryos would implant and grow was less than 2 percent," Sweet said. "We were all amazed when the improbable occurred."

For the expectant mothers, the news was joyous and terrifying. They were expecting quadruplets.

"I was scared," Laura said. "I remember thinking that now I had to worry about four babies being born alive."

Sheri and Laura made plans to deliver on the same day, so the babies would share a birthday. However, on May 9, 2011, at 31 weeks, a partially ruptured placenta jeopardized one of the babies Laura was carrying and resulted in an emergency C-section.

The first of the quads, Brianna and Derrick, arrived.

The stress of the event triggered contractions in Sheri, placing her in the hospital. Two weeks later on May 23, Anthony and Cason were born.

All four babies spent the first month in the neonatal intensive care unit at North Collier Hospital.

One year later

Today, the quadruplets are thriving.

Sheri and Laura do not deny that caring for four infants is difficult, but there is not a hint of regret as they celebrate their first Mother's Day and the children's combined first birthday.

"We had a loss and everything is comparable to that. We're just glad they are here and healthy," Laura said.

"If they are crying, they are breathing. It's not the worst thing that could be going on," Sheri added.

http://www.usatoday.com/

LGBT parents and their children celebrate “International Family Equality Day” at a picnic below the Hollywood sign

in: http://www.prweb.com/

      LGBT-led families will gather at a picnic in Hollywood on May 6, part of International Family Equality Day.

This Sunday, local gay and lesbian parents and their families will gather at a community picnic at Lake Hollywood Park, just below the iconic Hollywood sign to take part in a world-wide celebration of LGBT-led families. In Germany, families will tour the Stuttgart Zoo. In Switzerland, it’s lunch in Parc des Bastions, overlooking Lake Geneva’s landmark water fountain. New Yorkers will gather in Times Square and similar events are taking place in Helsinki, Toronto, Minneapolis (MN), Dover (NH) and Albuquerque (NM).

A professional photographer will offer free family portraits to those who attend the Los Angeles event. There will also be a kids' playground, jumper, arts & crafts, food and a group hike up the mountain to view the Hollywood sign and the surrounding Los Angeles scenery. The event is free and open to all LGBT parents and their families.

“Today is a chance for our kids to gather with other families like ours and enjoy a day in the sun,” says Michael Troynel, Board member of The Pop Luck Club, a local non-profit organization sponsoring the event. Its mission is to advance the well-being of gay prospective parents, gay parents and their children. The group boasts hundreds of member families and recently celebrated its 500th child. Troynel and his husband Jason have raised seven children ranging from 7-22 years old.

According to 2010 U.S. Census data, children are being raised in over one million LGBT-headed households. This multi-city collaboration among LGBT parenting groups to produce “International Family Equality Day” is the first of its kind.

While such groups have existed in the U.S., Canada and many Western European nations for a decade, representing tens of thousands of families, many new “Rainbow Family” organizations have been created in recent years in less supportive, even repressive countries. Regardless of different legal, political and social circumstances, the dramatic increase in the numbers of LGBT people who choose to raise children is a global phenomenon.

“I see this day as a chance for gay and lesbian moms and dads to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world.” says Rich Valenza, President of The Pop Luck Club. "In many parts of the world, gay parents and our children face extra challenges. By raising visibility, we hope to educate our neighbors and the world that our families and children are very much like theirs.” Troynel adds, “Parenting is not always a walk in the park… but today, I guess it is!”

http://www.prweb.com/

Os portugueses estão de acordo com a adopção por casais do mesmo sexo

in:http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Sociedade/Interior.aspx?content_id=2283369

Os portugueses estão de acordo com a adopção por casais do mesmo sexo, criticando a falta de legislação e de protecção social nestes casos. Este é um dos dados conclusivos de um dos poucos estudos sobre homoparentalidade em Portugal.

A pouco mais de três semanas deste tema ser discutido pelo Parlamento, dois inquéritos sobre famílias homoparentais, da autoria do psicólogo Pedro Alexandre Costa e financiados pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, vem apontar uma "atitude claramente favorável à adopção de uma criança por parte de casais do mesmo sexo - tendo sido apenas avaliado o cenário da adopção".

"Contudo, um dos temas mais presentes foi a preocupação com a possibilidade das crianças serem vitimizadas e discriminadas na escola por terem dois pais ou duas mães, o que chama a atenção para o papel da sociedade no geral, e dos agentes educativos em particular, na promoção de um clima de aceitação e de segurança nas escolas", adiantou, ao JN, o autor do estudo, cujo questionário estará disponível online até final de Março de 2012.

Segundo Pedro Alexandre Costa, não há ainda números sobres as famílias homoparentais em Portugal, mas nos dados recolhidos observa-se que "entre 8% e 10% das pessoas homossexuais e bissexuais têm filhos", o que não se pode traduzir em números reais "por não sabermos qual o tamanho da população homossexual no nosso país".

Os portugueses surgem ainda críticos em relação à falta de legislação que enquadre estas famílias - que são constituídas "por um pai ou mãe homossexual (ou bissexual) ou por um casal do mesmo sexo".

Estudos semelhantes já existem em países como o Reino Unido, Holanda ou Estados Unidos da América desde 1980.

"Quando se fala no 'superior interesse da criança' e ao mesmo tempo se diz à criança que a sua família não é igual às outras nem merece gozar dos mesmos direitos, há que questionar se de facto se está a colocar o bem-estar das crianças em primeiro lugar", salientou o investigador do Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada e da Universidade da Beira Interior.

Parlamento debate adopção por casais homossexuais no dia 24

in: http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Politica/Interior.aspx?content_id=2277765

O Parlamento vai debater a adopção por casais homossexuais no próximo dia 24. A iniciativa é do BE, que sublinha que Portugal é o único país em que pessoas do mesmo sexo podem casar mas não adoptar.

foto arquivo jn

O BE sublinha que a aprovação, em 2010, do casamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo "introduziu uma nova discriminação" para os casais homossexuais e, por isso, pretendem que seja eliminada a proibição de adoptarem crianças.

Por outro lado, propõem ainda igualdade de tratamento no registo civil "para a adopção, apadrinhamento civil e procriação medicamente assistida quando os adoptantes, padrinhos, ou um dos progenitores, estejam casados ou unidos de facto com pessoa do mesmo sexo".

O BE defende que a adopção por casais homossexuais responde ao superior interesse das crianças e sublinhou que Portugal é o único país em que pessoas do mesmo sexo podem casar mas não adoptar.

"É uma resposta a uma realidade única no mundo. Portugal é o único país em que o casamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo se encontra consagrado, mas a adopção não é possível por casais mesmo sexo", disse a deputada Cecília Honório, numa declaração no Parlamento.

A deputada defendeu que esta iniciativa do BE é assim "uma resposta em nome da democracia plena" e, por outro lado, "daquele que é o superior interesse das crianças".

"As crianças precisam de ser acolhidas por quem tem amor e condições, é esse o seu superior interesse, não é continuarem institucionalizadas", acrescentou.

A deputada considerou que "não é aceitável" nem próprio de uma "democracia moderna" que alguns casais sejam impedido de adoptar só por causa da sua orientação sexual.

O Bloco leva à Assembleia da República esta questão depois de em Janeiro de 2010 o Parlamento ter chumbado as propostas do BE e do PEV que previam o casamento homossexual sem excluir a adopção de crianças por estes casais, ao contrário da proposta que acabou por ser aprovada, com a qual o casamento civil entre pessoas do mesmo sexo passou a ser legal em Portugal.

Cecília Honório destacou que "o ruído da direita" aquando da aprovação do casamento homossexual "não deu em nada" e que a "sociedade aceitou com toda tranquilidade" essa mudança, "como seria de esperar".

"Vamos dar um passo em frente, a democracia assim o exige", afirmou.

Both lesbian moms have parental rights, Florida court rules

in: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lesbian-custody-battle-20120103,0,3890777.story

One was the egg donor and the other carried the child to term. Then they split up. The appellate court's decision could have wider implications

They fell in love, moved in together in a house in central Florida and had a baby girl. Now they are fighting over who should raise the child. But unlike most couples, they are two women. One donated the egg. The other had it implanted into her womb and carried the child to term.

So which one is the mother? The woman who bore the child says it is she and she alone.
A circuit judge in Brevard County, writing that it broke his heart to say so, ruled that she's right. Under Florida law, a woman who gives birth is the mother. Late last month, however, a state appeals court in Daytona Beach overturned his decision, saying the other mother has parental rights too.

The 5th District Court of Appeal ruled that the U.S. and Florida constitutions trump Florida law and give parenting rights to both women. State law, it added, has not kept up with the times.

"This is a unique case, and the appellate courts in Florida have never before considered a case quite like it," it said.

Although growing numbers of families have two parents who are the same sex, few involve children whose chromosomes come from one woman but who were carried to term by another.

Still, it's an important decision with a wider implication, said Nancy Polikoff, a law professor at American University Washington College of Law and expert on gay-and-lesbian family law.

"Any ruling that supports the right of a same-sex couple … is important for its willingness to recognize that these families exist and a child raised in this environment shouldn't be forced to give up a parent," she said.

In this case, the couple had been in a committed relationship for 11 years, according to court records. Several years ago, they decided to have a child, went to counseling to prepare for it and then discovered that one of them, then a 39-year-old law enforcement officer, was infertile.

The couple went to a reproductive doctor, and the other would-be mom, then 34 and also a law enforcement officer, donated an egg to be fertilized. It was implanted in her partner's womb, and a baby girl was born the first week of 2004.

The couple gave the baby a hyphenated version of their last names, but the child's birth certificate bore only the name of the mother who had carried her to term. The father was an anonymous sperm donor who had waived his rights.

The child treated both women as parents, according to the appeals court ruling, even after they split up when the girl was 2.

A year and a half later, the birth mom disappeared with the child, leaving the country without telling her former partner where they had gone. Eventually the egg-donor mother tracked them down in Queensland, Australia. They have since returned to Florida. Attorneys for both women did not return phone calls.

The appeals court handed down its ruling Dec. 23. It asks the Florida Supreme Court to weigh in on a very narrow legal issue: Does a woman in a lesbian relationship who gives her egg to her partner have no legal rights to the child it produces?

Camilla Taylor, a family lawyer with LAMBDA Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a nonprofit group that works on behalf of gays and lesbians, praised the ruling.

"I think it's clear the court reached the correct result, and courts are moving toward greater protections for families that involve either varying kinds of biological connections to their children or who have no biological connection but have functioned as parents in a child's life," she said.

The appeals court ordered the case back to the trial judge, Circuit Judge Charlie Crawford in Viera, instructing him to give the egg-donor mother access to her daughter and to iron out custody, visitation and child-support issues. The thing on which he should focus, the appeals court wrote, is the child's well-being.

That edict to focus on the child is one of the most heartening things about the ruling, Polikoff said.

Australian Finance Minister Penny Wong announces birth of child

in: http://queermagazineonline.com/news/pink-paper-news/40758-australian-finance-minister-penny-wong-announces-birth-of-child

Australia's lesbian Finance Minister, Penny Wong, has publicly announced the birth of her and her partner's first child.

Wong and partner Sophie Allouache have welcomed a baby girl called Alexandra.

"This is a life-changing experience," said the 43-year-old Senator. "She’s wonderful, just wonderful."

The child was born at Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital just days after Wong rallied for gay marriage at the annual Labor Party conference.

The baby, weighing in at 7.1lbs, was conceived from a donor known to the couple, but he will not be identified.

"The PM’s given me a bit of leave, so I’m going to take time off" she told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.

"Hopefully we can get the important things in life, like feeding and nappy changing and sleeping under control."

He told the Australian Broadcasting Commission that the refusal came about because of a misunderstanding on the part of the school principal and parish priest as to the church’s position on the issue.

Mr Trevor Rynne, principal of the Sacred Heart school, confirmed the young girl had been rejected because of her parents’ relationship, but he declined to comment further.

NSW politician John Kaye, from the Greens party, said the school’s action had been offensive and indefensible.