[Denmark] - Gay Penguins Become Fathers - Huffington Post

The Huffington Post is reporting on a wonderful and cute story out of Denmark about 2 gay penguins and their newest penguin chick baby.  Cute!!

In what the Toronto Star describes as an "apparent world first," a Danish zoo's King penguin chick has two "adoptive" fathers.

After a female penguin abandoned one of her eggs, zoologists at the Odense Zoo decided to see how two male penguins would handle the egg. As it turns out, they were "natural parents."

"With King penguins, they mix it between the male and female. One stands with the egg while the other goes to feed and then they shift," zoologist Nina Christensen is quoted as saying. "It was the same with this pair. They both incubated the egg.”

Odense Zoo's penguins aren't the first "gay" couple to become parents, even though they are a first as far as King penguins are concerned. Two male Chinstrap penguins at New York's Central Park 'adopted" and then reared an egg, as depicted in the controversial children's book "And Tango Makes Three." Meanwhile, zoologists at Germany's Bremerhaven Zoo helped two "gay" Humbolt penguins hatch and nurture an egg in 2009.

[Source: Original Article]

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[USA] - International Newborn Twin Insurance - New Policy for Surrogacy

Those of use who have done surrogacy in the USA know that the most expensive part of the journey for non-US citizens is obtaining Newborn Insurance. This has been a particular problem for those people who are having twins.  Unfortunately, newborn insurance in the USA is expensive and will likely remain so, but at least now there is a plan that can cover you - at a price.  However, considering the potential cost for a twin pregnancy that is premature, this is a very real and useful option.

For more information, visit NewLife Agency Inc.

[Source: NewLife Agency Inc]

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[USA] - Adolescents with Lesbian Mothers Describe Their Own Lives - Nanette Gartrell, Henny Bos H, Heidi Peyser, Amalia Deck, MSN, Carla Rodas

Following on from the last news story, here is some further information on that study showing that kids from Lesbian parented families are doing just fine (if not better)!!

"Teens with lesbian mothers are academically successful and happy with their lives. The 17-year-olds participating in the longest-running study of lesbian families had high school GPAs in the A- to B+ range, and nearly all planned to attend four-year colleges. These adolescents had strong family bonds, and they were nearly unanimous in describing their mothers as good role models. They also reported having numerous close friends—generally with same-age peers who were predominantly heterosexual. Most of the teens felt comfortable bringing friends home, informing friends about their mothers’ lesbianism and confiding in their mothers.

The teenagers were asked a series of questions about their everyday life experiences including academics, extracurricular activities, aspirations, friendships, family interactions, role models, health problems and wellbeing.   Notably, almost all of the 78 adolescents described their mothers as good role models. Prior studies on the same group of teenagers found that they demonstrated more competencies and fewer behavioral problems than an age-matched normative sample of American youth; although some adolescents with lesbian mothers had experienced homophobic stigmatization, family closeness helped counteract its negative effects.

The 78 adolescents in the current report were drawn from families that are participating in the National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study (NLLFS), the longest-running and largest prospective investigation of lesbian mothers and their children in the United States. Initiated by Dr. Gartrell in 1986, the NLLFS examines the social, psychological and emotional development of the children as well as the dynamics of planned lesbian families.

The current study  appears in the current issue of the Journal of Homosexuality".

Click here for the full report.

Click here for the press release.

[Source: Original Article]

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[USA] - Children Of Lesbian Mothers Have Higher Grades And Happier Lives - Daley Quinn

Like we didn't already know this !

"Bad news for those who believe homosexual parents can negatively affect their children: a study of 17-year-olds who were raised by lesbian mothers found that they did well in school, with grades ranging from A- to B+, and were overall happier with their lives.

The study, lead by Nanette Gartrell at the Williams Institute of UCLA, titled “Adolescents with Lesbian Mothers Describe Their Own Lives,” has been a 26-year-long process.  Gartrell and her team studied 78 participants and just recently published their results in the Journal of Homosexuality.

Not only did the teenagers report having good relationships with their mothers, but they also shared with the researchers their strong relationships with other friends. Many reported feeling comfortable talking about their lesbian mothers, whom many considered their “role models.” In addition to their great grades, many planned to attend four-year colleges.

Gartrell added, “As a psychiatrist, I can say that these are the types of child-rearing outcomes that every parent hopes for.”

[Source: Original Article]

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[Australia] - ALICE: Alcohol and Lesbian/bisexual women: Insights into Culture and Emotions

The Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne is currently undertaking a study exploring health and the culture of alcohol use among same-sex attracted women (including lesbian and bisexual women).
The study has been funded by a grant from beyondblue.              

 The study is called ALICE: Alcohol and Lesbian/bisexual women: Insights into Culture and Emotions

They are looking for same-sex attracted women aged 18 years and over to complete an anonymous web-based survey that will take approximately 25 minutes. The findings of the survey will be used to provide recommendations for improving healthcare services for same sex-attracted women. We would be extremely gratefully if you would be able to forward this email to any people you know who might be eligible or post a link to the survey on your website, forum, Faceboook page or newsletter.

The web link for the survey is: www.alicestudy.net.au

Further information about the study is given at the beginning of the survey.

The Chief Investigator of this project is Associate Professor Ruth McNair from the Department of General Practice, at The University of Melbourne. If you have any questions about the research please do not hesitate to contact Ruth on: 03 8344 6077 or at: r.mcnair@unimelb.edu.au.

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[USA] - Huffington Post - Sophia Bailey Klugh, 10-Year-Old Girl With Gay Dads, Has an Important Question for President Obama - Jamie McGonnigal

With the wonderful news overnight of Obama's re-election and the success of the marriage equality votes in the USA, I thought it worthwhile sharing this wonderful story about a 10 year old girl with 2 gay dads.  Oh…and Obama.  It is great.

Here is what she wrote:

Obama wrote back.  Respect!

Dear Sophia,

Thank you for writing me such a thoughtful letter about your family. Reading it made me proud to be your president and even more hopeful about the future of our nation.

In America, no two families look the same. We celebrate this diversity. And we recognize that whether you have two dads or one mom what matters above all is the love we show one another. You are very fortunate to have two parents who care deeply for you. They are lucky to have such an exceptional daughter in you.

Our differences unite us. You and I are blessed to live in a country where we are born equal no matter what we look like on the outside, where we grow up, or who our parents are. A good rule is to treat others the way you hope they will treat you. Remind your friends at school about this rule if they say something that hurts your feelings.

Thanks again for taking the time to write me. I'm honored to have your support and inspired by your compassion. I'm sorry I couldn't make it to dinner, but I'll be sure to tell Sasha and Malia you say hello.

Sincerely, Barack Obama

[Source: Original Article]

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[United Kingdom] - Stonewall - A Guide for Gay Dads

Stonewall is one of the oldest and most respected GLBTI activist organisations in the world.  They put together, back in 2010, a "Guide for Gay Dads".  It is well worth a read.

At Stonewall we have worked hard to ensure that gay people can have and raise children like everyone else.  While our lobbying has helped changed the law – allowing gay couples to adopt, removing barriers to fertility treatment for lesbians and outlawing discrimination in goods and services, including organisations offering social and family services – there is still lots to do.

That is why Stonewall has published A Guide for Gay Dads, a new guide for gay men taking them through the choices available to them to starting a family. Not only does the guide give vitally useful legal advice on what parenting rights you may have in different situations but it gives you an overview of what you can expect from each route to becoming a dad. Given the recent changes to the law it is a must-read for any gay men considering starting a family.

• If you would like a free hardcopy of the guide, email us at info@stonewall.org.uk

• Click here to download A Guide for Gay Dads

It’s the latest in a programme of recent work to ensure lesbian and gay people can start families and bring up children free from homophobia. Earlier this year we published our groundbreaking (Different Families) research which for the first time allowed the overwhelmingly illuminating voices of children with gay parents to be heard and last year we published (Pregnant Pause), a guide for lesbians on how to get pregnant.

[Source: Original Link]

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