Dana Rudolph
Censoring the Censors: How You Can Fight Back Against Conservative Attacks on Inclusive Books Across the Country
Preschooler Heather is no stranger to opposition. Lesléa Newman’s 1989 “Heather Has Two Mommies,” the first picture book to depict happily coupled same-sex parents and their child, faced opprobrium from conservatives since [...]
Mombian: An Open Letter to Joe Biden from a Lesbian Mom
Dear President-elect Biden: I'm writing you this open letter as you prepare to take office as president. My son was just a few months too young to vote in the last election, but watched it with great concern, for its results would directly impact [...]
Mombian: 2020 LGBTQ Parenting Year in Review
In a year like no other, LGBTQ families, like all others, struggled with the physical, mental and economic challenges of the pandemic. And with children of LGBTQ parents much more likely to live in poverty than those with non-LGBTQ parents, the [...]
Mombian: The Day After the Election, a Crucial SCOTUS Case on LGBTQ Foster Care Rights
We are about two weeks away from the 2020 elections. A case that the U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing the day after the elections, however, has me as concerned as the elections themselves, for it goes to the heart of how our country treats its [...]
Mombian: Holiday Gift Guide to LGBTQ Children's Books
It's time for my annual gift guide to some of the year's best LGBTQ-inclusive children's picture books! There were happily more books published this year than I can include here, so please visit mombian.com for a longer compilation. Family and [...]
Mombian: The Scary and the Sweet: A Halloween Roundup for LGBTQ Families
It's almost Halloween, so let's look at some of the scary things happening to LGBTQ parents lately, and then at some treats that just might help us be brave. First, the scary. A married, same-sex couple, both U.S. citizens, in mid-September sued the [...]
Bringing LGBTQ-Inclusive Books—and Hope—to Rural Schools
LGBTQ students in rural schools are more likely to face bias and discrimination than those in urban and suburban ones, but their schools are also less likely to have LGBTQ-inclusive resources to support them. That's why several recent college [...]
Mombian: Transgender and Gender Creative Children Star in New Picture Books
"When Aiden Became a Brother," written by Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (Lee & Low), is a sweet and joyous tale about a biracial (black and South Asian) transgender boy awaiting the birth of his new sibling. The book starts by [...]
HHS Rule Allows Religious Discrimination in Health Care
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has finalized a new rule that will allow health care workers to refuse to provide or assist in providing medical services if doing so violates their religious or moral beliefs. In other words, it will [...]
Mombian: Of Budget and Bias
President Trump's proposed 2020 budget, released March 11, reinforces his intention to let foster care and adoption agencies discriminate against LGBTQ people and others in the name of religion, using taxpayer money. There is legislation pending [...]
Mombian: A Mutual Benefit: Letting Employees Define their Families
People and families come in many forms, as any LGBTQ person can attest. Now, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company or MassMutual, as it's more commonly known, is using that concept to improve upon its already LGBTQ-inclusive employee benefits. [...]
Mombian: Two New Picture Books Tell Story of Rainbow Flag
Pride season is here, and so are two new picture books that tell the story of the rainbow flag and the individuals who both inspired and created it. "Rob Sanders' Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag," published by Random House, [...]