COLAGE: People with a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer Parent » COLAGERs Featured

Listen: Nick talks with BBC on Donor Insemination, Lesbian Moms, and COLAGE

admin — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:42:45 +0000

BBC Interview with Nick Hetherington, July 2011
Nick’s Story on BBC by COLAGE

Nick Hetherington is one of the first known people with lesbian moms to be born through donor insemination. Today he is a leader of the COLAGE NYC chapter, and a wonderful advocate for people with LGBTQ parents.

BBC Interview, June 2011 with Nick & his mom Janis
Nick and Janis Hetherington by COLAGE

Beginners

admin — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 06:50:46 +0000

COLAGE Features:

Preview & Synopsis:

“Beginners imaginatively explores the hilarity, confusion, and surprises of love through the evolving consciousness of Oliver (Golden Globe Award nominee Ewan McGregor). Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna (Mélanie Laurent of Inglourious Basterds) only months after his father Hal Fields (Academy Award nominee Christopher Plummer) has passed away.

This new love floods Oliver with memories of his father, who, following the death of his wife of 45 years, came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life – which included a younger boyfriend, Andy (Goran Visnjic of ER). The upheavals of Hal’s new honesty, by turns funny and moving, brought father and son closer than they’d ever been able to be. Now Oliver endeavors to love Anna with all the bravery, humor, and hope that his father taught him.”

COLAGE Youth Featured: Inside New Jersey

admin — Thu, 05 May 2011 00:42:44 +0000

photo: Jennifer Brown

By Danielle Shapiro

“When Rosa Ortiz first met her adoptive parents, she was a troubled 14-year-old living in a group home in Ridgewood.

Jon and Michael Galluccio, who had just adopted Ortiz’s infant sister, Madison, arrived with the baby for a visit. The state had taken away all five children born to Ortiz’s biological mother, and the Galluccios wanted to bring the sisters together. Although Ortiz says initially she was “confused” by the concept of two men as parents, that wasn’t what impressed her most.

“When I saw my parents for the first time, I could see the love they had for their kids. I didn’t see a gay couple. I saw parents,” says Ortiz, now 28 and a mother of three.“ Read the full article>

Inspiring Video – Relive Hawaii Civil Union Signing!

admin — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 01:03:10 +0000

COLAGE activist Laurie Cicotello is featured in this inspiring video released by the Governor of Hawaii! Click here for our full report on the Hawaii Civil Unions bill.

Watch: “Real Modern Families” featured on Good Morning America

admin — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 22:01:12 +0000

COLAGE applauds the Berman-Cotlar family for bravely sharing their story. And we extend a big thank you to Good Morning America for helping to amplify the voices of people with LGBTQ parents. Each time we share our stories we help to conquer the challenges and isolation that people with LGBTQ parents can sometimes face. The Berman-Cotlar family is inspiring others to become better advocates for themselves and their families.

New Research on Gay Adoptive Parents: Healthier in states with pro-LGBTQ laws!

admin — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:35:57 +0000

COLAGE Research Committee member Dr. Abbie E. Goldberg, author of Lesbian and Gay Parents and their Children has released with the American Psychological Association another new groundbreaking study about gay adoptive parents. Not surprisingly, ” Dr. Goldberg’s research indicates that, among same-sex couples raising adoptive children during the first year those who lived in states with anti-gay laws and social attitudes had more mental health issues than those who lived in states that provide a more supportive legal and social environment towards gay parenting and parents.”

Read the full press release below:

NORTHAMPTON, MA – Stigma, Social Context, and Mental Health: Lesbian and Gay Couples Across The Transition to Adoptive Parenthood Groundbreaking new research about gay adoptive parents by Dr. Abbie E. Goldberg, has been published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology by the American Psychological Association in February, 2011.

Dr. Goldberg’s new work, co-authored with JuliAnna Z. Smith at The Center for Research on Families at The University of Massachusetts/Amherst, is the first study to examine changes in depression and anxiety across the first year of adoptive parenthood in same-sex couples. Ninety same-sex couples (52 lesbian couples and 38 gay male couples) were studied and profiled at three separate times during their first year of adoptive parenthood.

Dr. Goldberg’s research indicates that, among same-sex couples raising adoptive children during the first year those who lived in states with anti-gay laws and social attitudes had more mental health issues than those who lived in states that provide a more supportive legal and social environment towards gay parenting and parents. In addition, same-sex couples who reported higher perceived workplace support, higher family support and more gay-friendly neighborhoods reported better mental health than those who reported poor workplace, family, and neighborhood support.

The full article, Stigma, Social Context, and Mental Health: Lesbian and Gay Couples Across The Transition to Adoptive Parenthood, is available in PDF format on Dr. Goldberg’s website: http://www.clarku.edu/faculty/goldberg/publications.html

Dr. Goldberg’s landmark 2010 book Lesbian and Gay Parents and Their Children: Research on the Family Life Cycle, also published by the American Psychological Association, was the first full-length analysis of the research on gay parenting, summarizing research data on the subject from the 1970’s to the present . That research was consistent in suggesting that the outcomes and well-being of children raised by gay and lesbian parents were no different than those of children raised by heterosexual parents.

Research for Stigma, Social Context, and Mental Health: Lesbian and Gay Couples Across The Transition to Adoptive Parenthood was funded by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development; the Wayne F. Placek award, from the American Psychological Foundation; the Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law; the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues; and the Lesbian Health Fund, awarded by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.

Abbie E. Goldberg, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Clark University in Worcester, MA. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Wesleyan University (Connecticut); her Ph.D. in clinical psychology and her M.S. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Dr. Goldberg also completed a clinical psychology internship at Yale Medical School. Her research has examined the transition to parenthood in diverse families, including lesbian-parent families and adoptive-parent families. In particular, her work has focused on how families’ relationships and identities change across the transition to parenthood, and how gender and sexual orientation figure into individuals’ adjustment and experience of parenthood. In addition, she has also studied the experiences of adults raised by lesbian, gay, and bisexual parents. She has received funding from the American Psychological Association, the National Institutes of Health, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Williams Institute, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.

Civil Unions Become Law: Testifying in Hawaii!

admin — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:53:52 +0000

Laurie testifies for Civil Unions bill.

“After I testified I was verbally attacked by an opponent who said I lied about being raised into a healthy adult, and they attacked me as a parent as well. My testimony led the 5pm news on at least one, maybe two news channels.”
- Laurie Cicotello

Update Feb. 23: Civil Unions Become Law!

Update Feb. 11th: Hawaii House Passes Civil Unions Bill!

Update Feb, 10th: “We got an 11-2 vote to move SB232 to the full House. The 3rd & final reading is tomorrow. Because of amendments from the Attorney General’s office, the bill will return to the Senate before going to Governor,” said Laurie.

Laurie Cicotello is a COLAGEr who served on the COLAGE Board of Directors. She has been sending us regular updates from Hawaii as several bills move their way through the legislature. “It’s complicated,” she says because there are several bills.

Laurie testified on behalf of her family and COLAGE in support of SB232. Read her testimony below:

Testimony in SUPPORT of SB232 HD1 and/or HB1453
Hearing: 2:15 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011, Conference Room 016

Dear Rep. Keith-Agaran, Rep. Rhoads, Rep. Brower, Rep. Cabanilla, Rep. Carroll, Rep. Herkes, Rep. Ito, Rep. Luke, Rep. McKelvey, Rep. Morita, Rep. Oshiro, Rep. Souki, Rep. Tsuji, Rep. Fontaine, Rep. Marumoto and Rep. Thielen:

Aloha. Mahalo for this opportunity to testify before you this afternoon. My name is Laurie Cicotello and I live in Moili‘ili. I come before you today in support of Senate Bill 232 HD 1 and/or House Bill 1453 regarding the legalization of Civil Unions. I represent COLAGE, People with a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer Parent. Founded more than 20 years ago, COLAGE envisions a world in which all families are valued, protected, reflected and embraced by society and all of its institutions.

I strongly believe all unions between two consenting adults should be treated equally under the law and as protected by the United States Constitution. Senate Bill 232 HD1 and/or HB 1453 would provide the same rights, benefits, protections and responsibilities to partners in civil unions as to those people in traditional marriages. In addition, children of same-sex couples are currently without the same family protections and benefits provided to children of opposite-sex couples. All families and their children will benefit from the passage of Senate Bill 232 HD1 and/or House Bill 1453.

My parents proudly celebrated their 42nd anniversary on February 1, 2011 – in a legal, now same-sex marriage. In 1969, at Sacred Hearts Catholic Church in Milwaukee, my folks committed in front of God, their family and friends to “Let No One Rend Asunder” their wedding vows. More than 25 years ago, my parent, Dainna, completed the transition from male to female. She and my mom, Mary, decided to stay together and remain married during this intensely personal and emotional change. They are the first couple in the United States to remain legally married following Dainna’s transition.

Over the years, various people from all walks of life have had no problem telling me they feel my parent’s marriage is null and void. I have been told that children are “better off raised in traditional families,” whatever that means. Children like me also hear that as the product of nontraditional families, we will turn into a deviant scourges on society. Yet, I stand before you today as a moral, healthy, well-adjusted adult who has a great deal more compassion for all family structures. I have a highly successful career as a journalist and educator—and even served as a communications specialist in Governor Linda Lingle’s executive office.

In 1996, Colorado overturned State Amendment 2 after the United States Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Romer v. Evans that “an identifiable group of people could not be walled off from the legal system.” Because marriage—and now civil unions—are first and foremost legal contracts and agreements, the proof of which is that while many, but not all, weddings take place in churches, ALL divorces must take place in a courtroom. Thus, not allowing a certain identifiable group of people to enter into a legal contract effectively walls them off from the legal system.

There is also no way to define the terms, “male,” “female,” “man,” or “woman,” legally or otherwise and no criteria to write those definitions. We are more alike than we are different on every consideration. For example, the International Olympic Committee stopped chromosomal testing in 1994 after finding too many athletes were not exclusively XX or XY.

In addition to supporting the legalization of civil unions, I also kindly ask that Hawai‘i honor the “Full Faith and Credit” afforded under the United States Constitution regarding marriages, civil unions, domestic partnerships or similar legal recognitions between two consenting adults.

I join my parents and countless other ‘ohana across the country in fighting for equality and justice within the law. As my parents travel the country, we are never sure which states will still recognize their marriage and their commitment to “Let No One Rend Asunder” their vows.

Mahalo nui loa for your consideration and support of Senate Bill 232 HD1 and House Bill 1453 recognizing Same-Sex Civil Unions. Thank you for your consideration and support of my family and all families like mine.

Imua Hawai‘i!

Watch: Child of Lesbian Parents Speaks Out in Iowa!

admin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:53:00 +0000

Zach Wahls is 19 year old Iowan who spoke out at public forum about House Joint Resolution 6, an amendment that would repeal the state’s marriage equality law, and all legal recognition for gay couples.

COLAGE applauds him and his family for taking a courageous, public stand amplifying the voices of people with LGBTQ parents. Zach is helping to reduce the isolation and challenges many people with LGBTQ parents and their families face during heated, highly publicized political struggles for full equality.

Transgender Day of Remembrance: Lots of video & resources!

admin — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 15:06:17 +0000

Story by Stephanie Herwig (with resources provided by COLAGE)
My dad is a Male to Female transsexual, happily married lesbian, devout Christian, and fascinating human.
Watch this preview of the film featuring my family:

She came out to me 14 years ago when I was 16, and it’s been a wild ride ever since. We’ve gone through periods of awkwardness, anger, resentment, and frustration. I’ve struggled with acceptance, and have had to face some very difficult questions – not least of all: “Who is this person who used to be my father…and is now a woman…but is not my mother….?” and “How in the world do I relate to this person?”
But would I trade any of that for simplicity? No.
To me, as a child of a transsexual woman, this is an issue of honesty. We cannot have real and vibrant relationships with each other if we are not first honest with ourselves about who we are, and then honest with those around us. People who have to deal with issues of transgender/transsexuality must be able to fully manifest who they are in all authenticity. How else can they have meaningful relationships with those of us who love them?
Have a transgender parent? Click here to join the Kids of Trans e-mail list to connect with other people who have a transgender parent.
My dad – now Sara, or “Saree” to me – and I have not had an easy time. I still feel a sense of loss for my ‘father’ – the one man in my life that was always supposed to be there for me. But when Saree made the move to fully manifest who she is as a woman, our relationship became much deeper. The authenticity that she shows in herself reflects in the way we relate to each other and gives me courage to trust her with the difficult things that I have to be honest about. If we have issues to deal with between us, we talk about it, and I know I can tell her anything. It’s amazing how freeing that kind of honesty can be.
It is my hope that as more and more people like my Saree decide to come out and say “This is who I am. Let’s get to know each other for real” so that our society will stop being afraid of being honest about who we all are in all our complexity. Complexity is what makes humanity interesting and beautiful. We just need the courage to open our eyes and take in all the intricacies of the people around us.
Check out the I AM project by the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition:

The National Transgender Day of Remembrance – to me – is about honoring those who have suffered for their authenticity, and about supporting those who are standing strong for who they are in the face of a world that is terrified of honesty – and treats our families differently. Lets just all be who we are: no lies, no fear.
Monica Canfield-Lenfest, author of the Kids of Trans Resource Guide, shares her story in this video:

And here is the guide!
KOT Resource Guide

Watch: ABC What Would You Do: Parent Comes Out!

admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:12:24 +0000

Below is another episode of What Would You Do featuring COLAGE New York Chapter Leader Danielle Silber in a similar situation!

Watch the second clip here…

Have you ever been somewhere, maybe a restaurant, with your family and someone gave you a weird look or made a rude comment? How did you react? How did other people in the restaurant react? Did someone stand up with you and your family for your rights?

What Would You Do?, an ABC News Primetime segment, tries to tackle some of those tough questions that face lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) families. Danielle Silber and Dori Kavanaugh, leaders at the New York City chapter of COLAGE, were on the show and commented about their experiences with their families and their reactions to watching the ABC segment.

Responding to host John Quinones when asked what were some of the things she had heard or experienced, Danielle replied, “I think some of the most hurtful things were ‘You’re family’s not normal’.” COLAGE and our chapters throughout the nation are committed to fighting the challenging and isolating feelings that our LGBTQ families face. COLAGE appluads ABC and the team at What Would You Do? for taking a bold step and bringing light to the everyday reality that our families are different and often discriminated against. COLAGE also commends the many individuals who stood up as allies for the rights of LGBTQ families. Their actions are a great example of those who value creating a society where the every family has the recognition, rights and respect they deserve.