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Supporting Same-Sex Families
Emmy Lavoie, Simone Schuller, Sophia Locker, Katelyn Sullivan
Fighting for Marriage Equality TED talk
Emily Schall-Townley
She is the daughter of the couple that got the Virginia ban on same-sex marriages overturned. Emily shares her story about having two moms and her experience.
Kids Of Gay Parents Speak Out
A film from Team Angelica & Stonewall
Children of gay, bi, straight, and undefinable parents speak about their lives and their families.
Article Resources
Click to Download
Supporting rainbow and same-sex families in your community
Important Info
Feeling supported in a community allows your children to do better socially, emotionally, and behaviorally
rainbow and same-sex families are like all families, so they need that support and sense of belonging
parents of same-sex families can receive discrimination which can lead to them feeling isolated
What you can do:
Social and emotional support from those around you
be aware of what you say
challenge unhelpful attitudes
talk with your children
Facts about LGBTQ+ families
Key Facts
This article has so many resources to learn more about:
what LGBTQ+ families look like-married and unmarried
how LGBTQ+ families are formed
how many LGBTQ+ families there are
LGBTQ+ families at a glance: where they live, family composition, race and ethnicity, income, and education
and discrimination against LGBTQ+ families
Colage Programs supporting families in the LGBTQ+ community
https://www.colage.org/programs
“For thirty years, COLAGE has been the only national organization expressly dedicated to supporting people with one or more LGBTQ+ caregivers, uniting them with a network of peers and supporting them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in their communities” (Colage)
Children of Same-Sex Parents: Happy and Healthy, But Stigma Remains
Key Facts
"Children of same-sex parents are better-behaved, healthier, and have more cohesive families compared to children of heterosexual couples, according to a new study out of the University of Melbourne in Australia."
"Research continually shows that students with better social-emotional health perform better academically."
"Same-sex couples on average tend to be better off financially than opposite-sex couples."
School Outcomes of Children Raised by Same-Sex Parents: Evidence from Administrative Panel Data
Key Facts
"These data include 2,971 children with same-sex parents (2,786 lesbian couples and 185 gay male couples) and over a million children with different-sex parents followed from birth. The results indicate that children raised by same-sex parents from birth perform better than children raised by different-sex parents in both primary and secondary education."
How to Explain LGBT to Your Kids
Same-Sex Families Chart
A chart on where same-sex families are located.
Great books for children
A Tale for Two Mommies
“A Tale of Two Mommies is an illustrated picture book intended for 4-8 year olds. This book lets us look inside one non-traditional family, a same-sex couple and their son. As the children talk, it's clear this boy lives in a nurturing environment where the biggest issues are the everyday challenges of growing up.”
A Tale For Two Daddies
A Tale of Two Daddies is a playground conversation between two children. The boy says he heard that the girl has two dads. The girl says that is right--she has Daddy and Poppa. True to a child's curiosity, practical questions follow: ?Which dad helps when your team needs a coach? / Which dad cooks you eggs and toast?” ..
Mommy, Mama, and Me
“This book, written by Lesléa Newman, is written for very young children and showcases a loving relationship within a family with lesbian parents. From playing games to bath time, “Mommy, Mama, and Me” takes readers through a typical day, showing just how similar all families truly are."
Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag
“This book tells the true story of how the rainbow flag came to be, as well as activist Harvey Milk’s fight for gay rights. While it is filled with pictures, it may be a better option for older kids who are interested in learning about social justice, inequality, and the battles the LGBTQ community have faced, conquered and continue to fight.”
Daddy Dog and Papi Panda's Rainbow Family
“This colorful book from author Anthony Hale features a same-sex animal couple, aiming to educate children about cultural diversity within a family structure. It also highlights different variations on a modern family: children conceived via surrogate and children brought home through adoption.”
And Tango Makes Three
"Authors Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell tell the story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins who live at the Central Park Zoo who long to have a family. So, with the help of the zookeeper, they adopt and raise a baby penguin, named Tango. One Amazon reviewer shares that it’s a good classroom book to help teach preschoolers about equality and love."
This image shows the different percentages of children living with couples by their relationship to parents and the couple type.
85.4% of children live with two biological parents of the opposite sex and 26.1% of children live with two biological parents of the same sex and so on.
