Tomorrow, June 1, will mark the 6th annual Blogging for LGBT Families Day hosted by the blog Mombian. The event invites all supporters of LGBT families—both LGBT-identified and allies, parents and non-parents—to blog about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents, children, and households, and the issues pertaining to these communities.
Blogging for LGBT Families Day was founded by Dana Rudolph in 2006, and attracts hundreds of contributors from around the world every year. Rudolph remains passionate about its cause. “I think it is important to blog both about the issues affecting LGBT families and simply about our personal stories,” Rudolph tells GLAAD. “I believe the battle for LGBT rights will be won on playgrounds and soccer fields as much as in courtrooms and statehouses, as we interact with our neighbors and share the realities of our lives. The Internet has become an extension of that neighborhood, and that is why blogging about LGBT families is important.” She encourages those who do not usually post about LGBT issues or families to take a unique approach to it based on their usual blog topics.
There are just a few steps to participating in the event. Writers simply post at their usual blog on or before June 1, and then submit the post at Mombian to be compiled into the master list for everybody else to easily access. Photos, videos, and other multimedia are also encouraged in addition to written stories. If a writer doesn’t have their own blog, they can submit their contribution as a comment on the Mombian site. Make sure to retweet content using the hashtag #lgbtfamilies on Twitter!
The lists of contributions from previous years remain online. Past bloggers have written about adoption rights, parental recognition, visitation, and the intersection of parenting with other LGBT issues. The site also includes a number of other ideas for topics to write about.
Rudolph has high hopes for the event’s future growth. “I'd love to see Blogging for LGBT Families Day turn into a national celebration--online and off--of LGBT families,” she tells GLAAD. “I chose June 1 not only because it is the start of Pride Month, but also because it is midway between Mother's Day and Father's Day, honoring both, but also recognizing that not all families fit into the traditional model of one mother and one father.”
Mombian is a blog dedicated to lesbian moms and offers parenting tips, resources, book reviews, and news, as well as a mix of lesbian culture and entertainment. Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian, and writes regular Mombian columns for publications such as Bay Windows, Philadelphia Gay News, South Florida Gay News, and Windy City Times. She is also a stay-at-home mom for her 8-year-old son.
GLAAD encourages all of its readers to contribute content to this terrific project, and to read others’ contributions as well. Watch for our roundup of excerpts from various blogs on LGBT families tomorrow!