Community Event of Interest

THROUGH EVA'S EYES will be held on November 8 (Sunday), at 2pm at the Barbara and Dave Sylvan Auditorium. It is hosted by The Council for Holocaust Education, and is for parents and children. For more information, call 495.1100.

Save the Date--October 31, Trick or Treating

Gather your little ghouls and goblins October 31st, and join Oklahomans for Equality as we celebrate Halloween and our President Toby Jenkins' 50th birthday, from 6-9pm at the Equality Center (4th and Kenosha, downtown). The little ones can trick-or-treat throughout the Equality Center, and childcare and kid's games and events are scheduled all evening. Don't forget your own costume! This is a free family friendly event and please RSVP to Tara at tulsalgbtfamilies@gmail.com

Save the Date

Tulsa LGBT Families is hosting a parents happy hour on Tuesday, October 6 @ 5:30 pm at the White Lion Pub (6927 S. Canton, at 71st and Yale). We'll "SIP AND SHOW" so bring photos of the little one(s). Food and drink are on you, but dinners all run under $10! The White Lion Pub is an authentic British pub with a huge variety of imported beers.

New DC Law helps lesbian parents

When two women become parents together through artifical insemination, DC now extends parental rights to both women. The story is here.

Back to school shopping?

Consider TJ Maxx & Marshall's! They support a Dallas resource center. Story here. 

Back to School Advice for LGBT Parents

Out & About has some advice for LGBT parents on how to navigate the back to school season; read about it here. But what do you think? Is this good advice based on your own experiences? Share your thoughts in the comments and let us know what you would advise on the best way to make introductions with teachers, become involved with the school community, and address any special issues.

August 8-- Mark your calendars

The Philbrook Museum hosts a free family event on Saturday, August 8 from 10:30 am - 4pm. Experiment with fun materials to make hands-on art projects, go on a scavenger hunt, take a family-friendly tour of the museum, and so much more on this day specifically for families. Tell them you are from Oklahomans for Equality to get a free children's "My Museum" kit, filled with art supplies and a special activity based on a current exhibit. Click here for more info! The Philbrook is located at 2727 South Rockford Road, Tulsa, OK 74114 in midtown.

Parenting Resources

Great books, films, and school resources can be found here.

Guitar Hero Recap

We had a blast at the Guitar Hero competition! The competition was friendly but fierce and all had a great time. Be sure to stay tuned for our other events!

Bill

From the fabulous Philadelphia Gay Parenting Examiner, we learn that Bill Clinton is in favor of marriage rights.

In the news

Debate over Florida's gay adoption ban heats up: read about it here.

Don't forget!

July 18- Let the kids channel their inner rockstar at The Dennis R. Neil Equality Center at 4th and Kenosha, downtown, from 3-5pm. We'll have prizes for the winners of this GUITAR HERO COMPETITION for elementary, middle and high school ages, snacks & juice. RSVP to Tara at tulsalgbtfamilies@gmail.com.

Movie Night- July 10

Join us at 7pm July 10th for a great movie, and discussion at the Equality Center.

Daddy & Papa is a film dedicated to the complex issues surrounding gay fathers who raise their children together.

The film is one hour, and we'll have an informal discussion after.

View the two minute trailer, here. RSVP to Tara at tulsalgbtfamilies@gmail.com.

Who's Your Daddy?

Interesting book alert!

"He has two moms"

An interesting Washington Post article, here. Also, the author, Dana Rudolph keeps a blog, Mombian, for LGBT parents.

Gayby Revolution

An interesting article, here. (A republican activist supports his lesbian mothers' right to marry, from CNN)

Mark your calendar!

July 11- Join us at the great new splash-park at 41st and Riverside from noon-2pm. Bring your own picnic, bathing suit for the kids, and sunscreen. We'll bring the ice cream! (In case of inclement weather, we'll do it another time). RSVP to Tara at tulsalgbtfamilies@gmail.com.

July 18- Let the kids channel their inner rockstar at The Dennis R. Neil Equality Center at 4th and Kenosha, downtown, from 3-5pm. We'll have prizes for the winners of this GUITAR HERO competition for elementary, middle and high school ages, snacks & juice. RSVP to Tara at tulsalgbtfamilies@gmail.com.

Legal Victory for LGBT Issues in Schools

It's somewhat sad that a victory means that students now have the support of the law to be able to search for "LGBT" in their school libraries and not have only anti-LGBT material come up. Nevertheless, success is success! The story is here.

International Gay Parenting

This is an interesting article about Israel's baby boom in the gay community.

Prop 8 in California

Given the California's Supreme Court ruling upholding the ban on gay marriage (for the NYTimes story, click here), the Family Equality Council has a really great response with resources families can use: click here. For example, their response has resources for how to talk to your children about the Prop 8 decision.

Great Books

This library resource has a great list of resource books (scroll down to the bottom). If you see one that you think the Equality Center should have, leave a comment, and we'll see if we can acquire it.

Toronto Queer Film Festival Debuts Family Films

Here are a few movies to put on your Netflicks queue: Baby Love and Half Life. To see the reviews, click here.

Faith Resources

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has a new resource for families and religious organizations. Their faith resources are quite extensive.

Alert: Camp Cuteness!

Camp Ten Trees is a summer camp in the Pacific Northwest for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Questioning & Allied Youth and Children of LGBTQ families.
We will have applications available at Oklahomans for Equality-- you can pick them up at the informational brochure shelves in the Sue Welsh Hall.

Parenting and Feminism

Can the two meet? An interesting article on the topic from The Nation, here.

Tulsa Day Care Statistics

What's your favorite Tulsa day care? The Tulsa World reports on three high performers; the story is here. The three day care centers with three stars with no complaints or violations were:

*Good Shepherd Early Childhood Education Center, 8730 E. Skelly Drive
*Happy Hearts Academy, 1010 N. Yale Ave.
*Bethany Community School, 6730 S. Sheridan Road

The article reports, "among the 37 three-star centers, about 400 inspection violations were found and 23 confirmed complaints."

Maine to offer same-sex marriage

See the article, here!

Lesbian Mom's Blog

Here's an early Mother's Day gift; a blog for lesbian moms.

Great Parenting Resource

The Center, an LGBT Resource Center in NYC, has great parenting resources.  Click here to see their families page. They have a super informative "Ask the Experts" page, here. 

Their website explains the many services they offer:

"Center Kids programs include support groups for LGBT parents and prospective parents; trainings for teachers and school administrators; advocacy and activist efforts; support around alternative insemination, adoption, surrogacy and nontraditional cooperative parenting arrangements; forums on issues such as custody when LGBT parents separate or financial planning for alternative families; and recreational programs for children 8 and under (Halloween Parties, Holiday Parties, Play Days, etc.)." (citation here)

Of these, which do you think are the most important for us to think about in Oklahoma?

Best title of a news article today

If this doesn't bring a smile to your face, what will? Lone Protestor at Equality and Justice Day Is Chased Away by Children in Rainbow Tights.

Fun, Fun!

Thanks to all that came out for Arts & Crafts day at Oklahomans for Equality this Saturday. There are some real budding artists out there! If your children missed the chance to make parent's day presents for mom or moms, dad or dads, be sure to keep up with our website! We'll be hosting other fun, family-friendly events for you this summer!

Schools considering LGBT curriculum

Alameda County, California, is considering a curriculum which will include lessons on LGBT individuals. The anti-bullying curriculum is under review to cover gay-bullying, and the county is considering one lesson a year to focus on LGBT issues. This, of course, if provoking a firestorm of controversy. What do you think? Assuming it would be possible for Tulsa schools to be more inclusive of LGBT issues, do you think they should be? How should they go about it? What are the most important things to cover? The story is here. Share your comments!

Interesting Reading

This article, which considers the role of culture within the context of LGBT parenting, is worth a few minutes of your time.

President Obama Invites LGBT Families to Easter Egg Hunt at the White House

See the AP story, and some cute photos, here.

Family Equality Council Outing

The Family Equality Council is hosting a week-long LGBT outing. "Scheduled for August 1-8, 2009 in Provincetown, MA, Family Week is the largest gathering of LGBT Families and their friends in the United States. The 14th annual Family Week brings to you workshops, social gatherings, meals and much more for all ages," explains their website. I don't know much about this, but if you've ever been or known someone that has, please leave a comment!

Get ready for some baseball!

We will be planning a Tulsa LGBT Families night at the Tulsa Drillers! We are working on a date that works for everyone. Details soon!

Victory in Iowa!

The Iowa Supreme Court unanimously decided today that a 1998 law limiting marriage to a man and a woman was unconstitutional. Same sex marriage in Iowa will be legal in as few as 21 days. See the NYTimes story, here.

Want to road trip to Iowa? It is just over seven hours to Des Moines.

Helpful Web Resources

You may want to make this website available to your children.

We have copies of Gay Parent Magazine free for you at Oklahomans for Equality.

Proud Parenting has lots of relevant and interesting news stories about adoption, insemination, surrogacy and so on.

Also, Oklahoma City Lesbian Mom's webpage is here.

Hooray!

Tulsa is one of the top five emerging cities for gays and lesbians. Read the story, here.

Mark your calendars

Tulsa's Pride on June 6
Join us for kid-friendly Pride Events: From 11am to 11pm, Centennial Park (6th and Peoria). Pride will feature a Kids Zone with inflatable two forty foot water slides, mechanical bull rides, rock climbing, a jupiter jump and fun games for the whole family!

Tell us what Tulsa needs in LGBT family programming

Click Here to take survey

Majority Support

A 2007 CNN poll found that a majority of poll respondents felt gay and lesbian couples should have the legal right to adopt children.

Resources: Books at OkEq

Oklahomans for Equality, located downtown at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, has great resources for you and your children. The Library has books that you can browse and borrow, for free, like these:

• The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians: How to Stay Sane and Care for Yourself, Tips and Techniques from Conception through Birth by Rachel Pepper (1999)
• Sons Talk About Their Gay Fathers: Live Curves by Andrew R. Gottlieb (2000)
• The Gay and Lesbian Parenting Handbook: Creating and Raising our Families by April Martin (1993)
• Family Values: Two Moms and Their Son by Phyllis Burke (1993)
• Permanent Partners: Building Gay and Lesbian Relationships that Last by Betty Berzon (2004)
• Gay and Lesbian Parents by Frederick Bozett (1987)

Books for Children:

• Molly's Family by Nancy Garden (2004)
• Daddy, Papa and Me by Andrew Aldrich (2003)
• Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman (2000)