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Op-Eds, Blog Posts, and Other Writing

Thoughts on Journalism and Democracy

Journalism is integral to the functioning of a democratic society, driving public dialogue and ensuring transparency. In recent years, however, the journalism industry has confronted a myriad of challenges, including the dwindling numbers of journalists, outdated revenue structures, and a troubling decline in public trust. These concerns, coupled with the escalating threats against journalists, underscore […]

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In the News

MEL Magazine: THE ‘INCIDENTAL ACTIVISM’ OF GAY DADS

Days after Gabriel Blau’s son Elijah was born, he and his husband were greeted by a female neighbor in the elevator of their New York City apartment building. “Your baby is so sweet,” the woman said, dotingly. “Do you know how to feed him?” Sure it was insulting, Blau tells me, but mostly, it was […]

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Op-Eds, Blog Posts, and Other Writing

The Advocate: Resistance Fighters Require Self-Care

Read the original piece here by Gabriel Blau In our new normal, every day brings new threats to our civil liberties. The attacks and potential attacks are too numerous to keep track of. This week, in addition to weakening our stand in the international community, right here at home the administration is weakening our commitment […]

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Op-Eds, Blog Posts, and Other Writing

Pride 2016 and Being an LGBTQI and Adoptive Parent

I’ve been loving the work of the Donaldson Adoption Institute more and more as I continue to get to know them. In 2014 I started getting to know their then new CEO April Dinwoodie. We hit it off immediately, talking about the challenges of supporting families, discrimination, LGBTQI issues, and promoting healthy dialogue on both legal […]

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In the News

Watch: MSNBC and International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

I was honored to sit down with MSNBC’s Frances Rivera on May 15th to talk about LGBTQ issues and the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT). WE had a great conversation, and an opportunity to remember that we have a lot to celebrate when it comes to securing lived and legal equality for LGBTQ […]

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In the News

In The Advocate: 10 Tips for Starting LGBTQ Families

With the world changing rapidly (as it always is) and LGBTQ families becoming more and more common, there’s still a need for sharing our stories and our advice. Talking about who we are, how we got here, and what we’re experiencing, is an important way to support each other. Parenting is hard enough, parenting as […]

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Goings On

An Evening for Homeless LGBTQ Youth in New York City

On a rainy evening a week ago, a hundred or so folks packed into a beautiful home in Chelsea to support a deserving and hard working organization: The Peter Cicchino Youth Project. PCYP provides free legal services to NYC’s homeless youth, helping them with the big issues, and the small issues. Access to legal services is a critical […]

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Goings On

WATCH: Let’s Adopt Reform Town Hall in NYC

On November 4th, 2015 The Donaldson Adoption Institute kicked off National Adoption Month and a national town hall tour called “Let’s Adopt Reform.” The event, hosted by Bank Street College of Education, and simulcast online, had hundreds of participants. The panel was hosted by DAI’s CEO April Dinwoodie, and moderated by CNN’s Michaela Pereira and included five panelists […]

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In the News

Mississippi Same-Sex Couples Ask Court To Order Equal Adoption Rights

A motion seeking a preliminary injunction was filed Friday by two married couples with children in Campaign for Southern Equality v. Mississippi Department of Human Services, the federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Mississippi’s law banning adoption by same-sex couples. Mississippi is the only state left in the nation that bans gay couples from adopting without […]

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In the News

Yahoo: ‘Families Like Ours:’ When Kids and Same-Sex Parents Come Together in One of America’s Gayest Towns

For a lesbian family living in a small Midwestern farming town — West Point, Ind., population 594 — the Buckles-Rausch clan is extremely fortunate: They have a close group of friends, supportive families, nondiscriminatory work environments, and an open and affirming church where moms Angie Buckles and Annie Rausch were just married, on July 11, […]