Gay, lesbian parents rights pressed
By PHIL GARBER, Recorder Community Newspapers, 10/27/2006
A Mendham woman and a
lesbian mother from Chatham are leading an effort to raise
awareness of the difficult issues facing gay and straight
parents.
“We felt it was important for all families to stand together to
promote fair policies,” said Heather Turnbull of Chatham, one of
the organizers of the Gay/Straight Parents Alliance being formed
by the Morris County National Organization for Women (NOW)
chapter.
Also helping in the effort is Laurie Pettine of Mendham, chair
of NOW’s Mothers and Caregivers Economic Rights Task Force.
Pettine and Turnbull were among a group of NOW members and
supporters who sat beneath the organization’s banner and
unveiled their new effort on Thursday, Oct. 19, during an event
on the Green in Morristown.
Click here to
see a photo of that action
About a half dozen people stopped to pick up literature on the
new task force and Turnball said they all seemed “very
positive.”
Lesbian Mom
Turnbull said she is a lesbian mother raising a 3-year-old
daughter and that about 25 percent of gay couples are raising
children. She said the new group hopes to work with other
advocacy groups to press for such issues as paid family leaves
and Social Security credits for at-home parents.
“We want to show that issues for all families are very similar,
no matter who is the head of household,” said Turnbull.
“Our hope is not only to advocate for legislative changes but to
educate people about the issues important to all families.”
Turnbull said the new alliance is the result of lengthy
discussions within NOW about parenting issues, ranging from
safety in schools to child care.
Another member of the task force, Susan Waldman of Randolph
Township, said the goal is to expand the number of people
working on family issues, including legalizing gay marriages and
bringing attention to other lesbian and gay issues.
The state Supreme Court was to issue its ruling after press time
Wednesday on whether to legalize gay marriages in the state.
“In any struggle, the more people you have on your side, the
more effective you are,” said Waldman, a former NOW chapter
president. “Trying to make a larger coalition around these
issues is the main idea.”
She said she has been a longtime supporter of efforts to protect
a woman’s right to choose abortion, gay and lesbian rights and
combating racism.
The new group’s mission statement said the nation’s economic
policies should promote family stability.
“That is why this alliance would advocate for among other things
paid family leave, Social Security credits for at-home parents,
national health plan and affordable, quality child care,” the
statement said.
The statement said the alliance will advocate for marriage
equality through education of the public and elected officials.
It also will oppose any constitutional amendment that would deny
marriage equality to the people of New Jersey.
Anti-bullying
Additionally, the statement said the alliance will work to
ensure that children can attend school without fear of ridicule
because of their family structure.
“The public school environment should promote the ideas that not
all families “look” the same and that students from all
backgrounds have a right to feel included and accepted,” the
statement said.
“This alliance will advocate to ensure that anti-bullying
policies be established and enforced in our public schools and
that such policies acknowledge sexual orientation and gender
identity or expression as areas of particular sensitivity.”
©Recorder Community Newspapers 2006 |
