Coca cola first to feature first gay family in Super Bowl Ad

The hashtag #AmericaIsBeautiful went trending on Twitter shortly after the spot aired. Gay rights organization GLAAD praised the ad, calling it "a step forward for the advertising industry." Coke has been under fire for its marketing lately. A social marketing effort that allowed customers to give each other digital coke bottles with words written on them backfired after the site wouldn't allow users to put the word "gay" on them. The beverage maker has also been criticized for sponsoring the 2014 Olympics because the host country, Russia, in 2013 passed a law banning "the distribution of "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to minors "Coca-Cola has demonstrated to corporate America that being LGBT-inclusive is good business, but as the world turns its attention to Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics, it's time for sponsors of the Olympics like Coca-Cola to show the whole world how beautiful LGBT families are," said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a statement after the ad aired. Article: www.nbcnews.com 3rd February 2013

Italian pasta brand Barilla refuses to use gay families in their advertising

Guido Barilla, chairman of the company of the same name, told a radio interviewer the concept of the "classic" family was fundamental. If gay people disliked the concept, he said, they could "eat another brand". His comments were an "offensive provocation", according to the head of gay rights group Equality Italia. If gays like our pasta and our communication, they will eat our pasta. If not, they can avoid it and eat another brand” "We accept the invitation from the Barilla owner to not eat his pasta," Aurelio Mancuso said, urging a boycott of the company's pasta, sauces and snacks. The hash tags Barilla and boicottabarilla (boycott Barilla) became top trending terms among Italians using Twitter. Alessandro Zan, a gay Italian MP, tweeted: "You can't mess around with consumers, including gay ones." 'Slightly different' In the interview given to Radio 24 on Tuesday, Mr Barilla had been asked if adverts for his company would ever feature a gay family. "We have a slightly different culture," he replied. "For us, the concept of sacred family remains one of the fundamental values of the company. Ours is a traditional family. If gays like our pasta and our communication, they will eat our pasta. If not, they can avoid it and eat another brand. You can't please everyone in order to displease no-one. "I wouldn't do an ad with a homosexual family not because I disrespect gays - they have their right to do whatever they want without disturbing others - but because I don't think like them and I think that the family we try to address is anyway a classic family." On Thursday, Mr Barilla issued a statement to apologise, explaining that he was trying to say "simply that the woman plays a central role in a family". "Barilla features families in its commercials because it embraces anyone, and they have always been identified with our brand," he added. Despite a strong gay culture, Italy is one of the few states in Western Europe which does not recognise same-sex unions in law. In its latest annual survey, the gay rights watchdog Ilga-Europe found the country continued to have a "relatively high level of homophobia and transphobia which expresses itself through violence". Article: 29th September 2013 www.bbc.co.uk Read more about gay parenting at www.prideangel.com

'Gay couples cannot provide safe environment for children' states MP

The Welsh secretary has said gay couples "clearly" cannot provide a "warm and safe environment" in which to raise children. On ITV Wales' Face to Face programme, David Jones said this was why he had voted against the government's legislation for same-sex marriage. The Conservative MP said he was not homophobic and had "people in my life who are important to me who are gay". But Labour said the comments showed "the nasty party is alive and well". MPs were given a free vote on same-sex marriage legislation in the Commons last week, meaning that they were allowed to vote according to their consciences and did not face sanctions for taking an opposing view to their party leaders. Prime Minister David Cameron is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage, but Mr Jones was one of two cabinet ministers to vote against it. 'Overwhelming opposition' The Welsh secretary told ITV: "I regard marriage as an institution that has developed over many centuries, essentially for the provision of a warm and safe environment for the upbringing of children, which is clearly something that two same-sex partners can't do. "Which is not to say that I'm in any sense opposed to stable and committed same-sex partnerships." He said he believed his constituents were "overwhelmingly" opposed to the government's plan to allow same-sex couples to marry or convert their civil partnerships to marriages. In a statement after the interview, Mr Jones added: "I made the point of stressing that I was fully supportive of committed same-sex relationships. I also strongly approve of civil partnerships. "I did not say in the interview that same-sex partners should not adopt children and that is not my view. "I simply sought to point out that, since same-sex partners could not biologically procreate children, the institution of marriage was one that, in my opinion, should be reserved to opposite sex partners." 'Ill-informed' But shadow Welsh secretary Owen Smith strongly criticised the secretary of state's original remarks. "That such views exist in the heart of the Tory cabinet provides yet more evidence of how out of touch the Tories are with modern Britain, and how David Cameron's claim to have changed his party is, like so many of his promises, nothing more than empty words," the Labour MP said. "David Jones's comments are profoundly offensive and he should apologise immediately." The director of campaign group Stonewall Cymru, Andrew White, said: "We're saddened that the secretary of state for Wales should make such an offensive and inaccurate remark. "There are many different types of family in Wales today, including many same-sex couples raising children. It's deeply undermining to families and children when they hear this sort of ill-informed comment. "Fortunately, recent YouGov polling for Stonewall Cymru shows that the secretary of state's views are out of touch with the majority of people, both in Wales and throughout Great Britain." strong>Article: 15th February 2013 www.bbc.co.uk

Gay and lesbian families to be given legal protection in Ireland

Ireland to introduce a new bill to give greater protection for gay and lesbian families. Ireland’s Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) has welcomed comments made by Justice Minister Alan Shatter on the need to improve legal provision for gay parents and their children with new legislation. Speaking at an LGBT reception on Wednesday, Mr Shatter confirmed that the Irish government would bring forward new legislation to secure “equal citizenship for lesbian and gay parents”. Mr Shatter announced a comprehensive Family Relationships and Children Bill, to be enacted by the end of 2013, which will provide for relationships of guardianship, custody and access for children in lesbian and gay headed families. The proposed bill will also provide greater financial security for the children of same-sex parents by addressing maintenance and inheritance rights, and issues concerning assisted human reproduction. In response, the chair of GLEN Kieran Rose said: “This is great news for lesbian and gay couples who are parenting children. One of the most urgent issues for these parents is the lack of legal certainty for their families and the lack of protection and security for their children. “The reforms the minister outlined this evening will transform the status of these families, and secure for their children the range of protections and supports available to children in other families.” Article: 21st November 2012 www.pinknews.co.uk

Mail on Sunday would like to hear from Children raised in same-sex families

A Features Writer for the Mail on Sunday is looking for anyone who might be able help with a positive feature they are working on for this Sunday’s newspaper. They are looking to speak to young people, aged between six and 30, about their experience of being raised by same-sex parents. (They would also like to speak to one of their parents as well, if possible). The tone of this article would be 100% positive. It is in response to Sir Elton John’s concerns this week that his son Zachary will have a ‘very difficult’ childhood because he is raised by same-sex parents. 'We want our case studies to say why this isn’t the case' said Laura. Ideally, they would love them to talk a little about their childhood and highlight why it was a positive experience and they wouldn’t change it at all. Laura the features writer would be really grateful if you’d get in touch to laura.powell@mailonsunday.co.uk and liz.sanderson@mailonsunday.co.uk. Alternatively, their office line is 020 3615 3239. Many thanks. or if you just want a little more information please contact us at Pride Angel.

American pro gay ad released for Father's Day

Partly in celebration of Father’s Day, and partly in response to the criticisms it received for releasing a pro-gay ad featuring a lesbian couple, the US clothing retailer JC Penney has released another pro-gay ad, this time featuring two dads. JC Penney has been under fire from the anti-gay group One Million Moms, whose actual membership is estimated to be around 40,000 at best, twice before: first for hiring comedienne Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson, then for releasing an ad featuring a lesbian couple as mothers of two children. As it happened, almost 22,500 people signed a GLAAD-initiated petition to thank the retailer for its pro-gay stance, nor did the pro-gay ad, published towards Mother’s Day, affect JC Penney’s sales or reputation. Now, as if in direct reply to these criticisms, JC Penney has released an ad for Father’s Day, featuring a real life gay male couple, Todd Koch and Cooper Smith, with their children Claire and Mason. The accompanying text reads: ’First Pals – What makes Dad so cool? He’s the swim coach, tent maker, best friend, bike fixer and hug giver – all rolled into one. Or two.’ One Million Moms has predictably moved to criticise the retailer, for allegedly ‘continuing down the same path of promoting sin in their advertisements.’ Repeating the same warning as last time, it warns JC Penney to remain neutral in ‘the culture war,’ lest its members and their supporters boycott the retailer altogether. ‘We must remain diligent and stand up for Biblical values and truth,’ the group’s website declares, echoing its recent criticisms of gay story-lines in comic-scripts. ‘Scripture says multiple times that homosexuality is wrong, and God will not tolerate this sinful nature.’ JC Penney has reiterated its position that it is a store for all Americans, and in reflecting the diversity of the country, would naturally include gay fathers in its collection. Article: 3rd June 2012 www.pinknews.co.uk

Birth mother vs non-birth mother - lesbian family breakdowns

The news has recently highlighted a number of high profile cases involving disputes within lesbian families and alternative family structures. Primarily these concern fathers or known donors seeking more of a relationship with their child than they originally wished for. However, another interesting and sadly increasing area we are witnessing is the breakdown of relationships in two-mother lesbian parent families. As with any relationship breakdown, issues to be dealt with include division of the finances, any civil partnership dissolution and with whom any children will live (as well as contact with the non-resident parent). But these types of divorce cases have a more complex dynamic, with difficult legal and social questions arising from the mismatched biological (and often legal) status of the two female parents. To date there has been very little judicial guidance as to how much weight the family court will place on the importance of being a birth mother in divorce proceedings, and whether in such cases the birth history and biological link should be considered more important than the relationship between the non-birth mother and the child. Of course every case is unique, but the two main cases so far where the court has considered and explored these issues in principle make for very interesting reading. The first case was that of Re G [2006] UKHL 43 which involved a difficult dispute about where the children conceived by a lesbian couple through artificial insemination should live following their separation. The High Court and Court of Appeal ruled that the non-birth mother should have primary care of the two children (mainly because the birth mother had behaved badly and removed the children to Cornwall deliberately to obstruct her former partner’s relationship with the children). However, in a landmark judgment the House of Lords ruled that the lower courts had not given sufficient weight to the fact that the birth mother was the biological mother of the children and ordered that the children should continue to live with her. The House of Lords expressly stated that the lower courts had placed too much weight on the behaviour of the birth mother and not enough on the biological basis of her relationship. This was a ‘significant consideration which was of importance’. Being the birth mother is, it seems, significant. The more recent case of T v B [2010] EWHC 1444 (Fam) involved a lesbian couple who were not civil partners but had lived together for many years and had undergone fertility treatment to conceive a child together. Once the child was born they both undertook the role of parents. Although the law at the time did not recognise the non-birth mother as a legal parent, she sought – and was given by the court – parental responsibility, which meant she had full legal authority to take decisions as a parent and to be involved in her child’s care. Following separation the birth mother applied to the courts for financial provision from the non-birth mother. The court ruled that as the non-birth mother was not a legal parent she had no financial obligation despite the fact that she had to all intents and purposes been a ‘parent’ to them from the very start. The court was somewhat constrained by the wording of the law (and its frustration was evident) but it was clear in this case that whether you were a birth mother or not was deeply significant. When the court are considering cases involving disputes about care arrangements for children, the court has a range of factors it has to take into consideration. These include: the child’s age, sex and background; their physical, emotional, educational needs; the effect of any change in circumstances; their ascertainable wishes and feelings; any harm the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering and how capable each parent is in meeting the child’s needs. The welfare of the child will be the court’s paramount consideration and any decision made by the court will be based on what the court considers to be in the child’s best interests. In practice this gives a lot of flexibility, although it is clear that the court is inclined to place weight on the importance of the biological link with the birth mother. In relation to child maintenance questions, this bias is more institutional, with clear legal rules which make only legal parents (and their spouses) financially responsible. On 6 April 2009 the law in the UK changed to allow two mothers to be named on the birth certificate, recognising them both as the legal parents and giving them both financial responsibility for their children. It is notable that both of the birth mother vs non-birth mother cases have involved children born before this legal change. Whether or not the new law will give greater weight to the non-birth mother’s position waits to be seen (although this will certainly be the case in relation to financial questions). Things are likely to be muddied further by the increasing blurring of the lines between birth and biological parenthood for lesbian couples. We are certainly seeing more egg swapping cases, where an egg has been taken from the non birth mother, fertilised and then transferred to the birth mother. Where parents in these situations separate, will the birth mother or the biological mother be the one with the upper hand? Same-sex divorces are undoubtedly legally complex where children are involved. In a dispute over a child within an alternative family structure, an argument often run is the importance of the biological link, and the genetic identity of the child. With changes to the law and even more complex family structures emerging, it will be interesting to see how the court responds.

Gay Parenting: It's complicated - Guardian's feature on same-sex parenting

Emma Brockes has written a fabulous major feature for this weekend’s Guardian Weekend magazine on same sex parenting, in which Natalie Gamble Associates are proud to be quoted. The piece tells the story of three modern same sex parent families: Kellen and Patricia, lesbian mums from New York who have a daughter and are now expecting twins, following egg swapping IVF – Patricia is the birth mother but she carried embryos created with Kellen’s eggs. Will Halm and Marcellin Simard, gay dads to three children age 15, 13 and 10, who pioneered surrogacy as gay dads in California, where they were the first same sex parents to be named on a birth certificate together, and where Will now represents others as a fertility lawyer. Andrew Solomon and John Habich, gay dads to a truly alternative family structure – a son through surrogacy who they are raising together, and three more children co-parented with two different mothers. It is a wonderful picture of the realities of modern same sex parenting, with scenarios we are increasingly dealing with for families in the UK too. All the parents involved talk vividly about the challenges and problems they have faced as gay parents – not the playground prejudice and emotional problems many might expect, but losing legal rights when crossing borders, and grappling with obstructive passport authorities. But the biggest problem of all for alternative families remains surrogacy. As Emma says in her article: There is, in all this, one glaringly unsubtle problem, and that is surrogacy, which as a percentage affects gay men more than any other group. Commercial surrogacy is illegal in the UK, forcing many childless couples to seek help abroad. When they return, the British government is reluctant to endorse an arrangement that undermines public policy. “English law applies its own rules as to who the parents are, irrespective of what happens abroad,” says Natalie Gamble, the country’s leading fertility lawyer. “So even if you’re named as the parent on a US birth certificate, English law will say that the surrogate is the mother and if she’s married, her husband is the father.” This can lead to some bizarre situations. In 2008, Gamble’s firm acted for a British couple who had used a surrogacy service in Ukraine. “In Ukraine, the law said they were the parents. But under English law, the Ukrainian surrogate and her husband were the parents. The systems were in direct conflict. The result was that the children had no parents and no nationality. They had no right to stay in Ukraine, and they had no passport to cross any borders. That’s the worst nightmare of international surrogacy.” Gamble persuaded the Home Office to issue the children with discretionary entry clearance, then applied to the high court for a parental order, naming the British couple as legal parents. We have long campaigned for alternative families, both individually in court, and by arguing hard for changes to the law (including supporting the UK’s legal changes allowing gay dads and lesbian mums to be named on birth certificates together). Why do we do this? Because we believe that parents who love and cherish their children raise wonderful families, no matter what the structure. With that in mind we want to salute, above all, what Will Halm says about his teenage daughter: “That a test tube baby, from two gay men, is a well-adjusted, smart, polished girl at 15, who is comfortable talking about her family – she is what I would like the world to see. Not the parents who are creating the child, but the children themselves.” Article: 23rd April 2012 by Natalie Gamble Associates

Gay couple told they will be grandparents goes viral on YouTube

A reaction video posted by user charper 140 on 11 December 2010 of a gay couple hearing the news that they are to be grandparents has gone viral after a year on popular self-broadcasting site, YouTube.

Titled "We told Dads they're going to be Grandpas", the video depicts a family gathering of the two men and a young woman in a kitchen in America, a third man is filming.

The cameraman asks the couple: "So, tell me what it's going to be like, now that you two are going to be grandpas".

The reaction of sheer joy and disbelief, in particular displayed by the man in white, has become a huge hit across the web. Although it is unclear why the video has suddenly become so popular.

Comments include, "I challenge anyone (with a brain, heart or soul) to see such genuine love and tell them it's wrong."

"Every child should be born into a house with this much love and joy, the world would be a much better place."

The most popular comment, currently standing at 55 Vote Ups, stands firm with YouTube's satirical following: "Hold on, THIS is what's destroying my traditional family?"

In second place comes "This is why same sex marriage should be legal" with 17 votes.

Article: 16th December 2011 www.gaystarnews.com

Gay,lesbian wishing to become parents? find your parenting match with pride at Pride Angel

Glad to be gay parents - Is life getting easier for gay families?

With more same-sex celebrity couples proudly parading their children, is life getting easier for these unconventional set-ups?
Eleven years ago, when Karen decided to try for a baby with her long-term partner, she had no idea how to go about it. She felt uncomfortable disclosing her lesbian relationship to her doctor and wasn't keen on using a sperm bank because she felt strongly that she wanted her child to know who its father was. In the end, by chance, a friend offered to donate sperm. "When I found out I was pregnant, I was over the moon with happiness," she says. "But back then, there wasn't any information for gay and lesbian couples so throughout the whole thing we felt isolated and totally unaware of any legal issues, which could easily have arisen."

In fact, Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow made legal history in 1999 when they won a battle to bring their twins, conceived via donor eggs and carried to term by a surrogate mother, home to Britain after they were born in America. The twins became the first British children to be registered as having two fathers and no mother.

Nowadays things are a bit different. We've got Elton John and David Furnish introducing their surrogate son, Zachary, on the front of OK! magazine. In February, we had Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon introducing the world to the baby boy she had with her girlfriend, Christine Marinoni. Glee star Jane Lynch is stepmother to two daughters from her partner Dr Lara Embry's previous relationship. And there's even a gay adoption plot brewing in EastEnders. It's now so commonplace, a new bi-monthly glossy entitled Pink Parenting is due to hit the newsstands next month.

The magazine is the creation of long-term gay couple Jeff Crockett and Giorgiou Severi, who also publish Europe's leading fertility magazine, Fertility Road. The first issue features an interview with Ricky Martin talking about his twin boys, Valentino and Matteo, recipes from children's food expert Annabel Karmel, plus everything same-sex couples need to know about adoption, fostering and surrogacy.

Over the past 50 years, we have seen a complete shift in what the model of the family looks like and it appears the rise of the gay family is a big part of the next chapter. According to the Department for Education, there were 120 same-sex couples who adopted in 2010. Crockett and Severi cite figures from the 2000 American census, which revealed that 39 per cent of same-sex couples in the States between the ages of 22 and 55 were raising children. "Gay surrogacy or adoption is becoming a common-day occurrence, we are used to the idea. The world is ready for it now," Severi says.

Karen and Erika agree. After their less-than-happy experience 11 years ago, they decided to set up a website, Pride Angel, which is now the world's leading connection site putting lesbian and gay couples together with donors. It provides masses of information, including how to draw up the all-important donor or co-parenting agreements that outline financial and legal obligations.
That Pride Angel now has more than 7,000 members is testament to how big this issue has become.

When Oskana decided to have a baby with her long-term partner, Stacey, they too were lucky enough to have a friend volunteer to donate sperm. They now have a two-year-old and a four-year-old, both of whom were carried by Oskana but adopted by Stacey within weeks of the birth. Now both mothers have names on the birth certificate and absolutely equal parenting rights.

"We sat down with the donor and worked everything out," Oskana says. "He wanted to have visibility but in a sort of 'distant uncle' kind of way. We agreed he would have no rights and no responsibilities and that he wouldn't be morally or financially obligated to do anything."

Stuart and Mark, who live near Manchester and have been in a civil partnership since 2008, took the adoption route. This month, the papers finally came through saying that the two young boys who had been placed with them since last May were officially theirs.

Even though it's now enshrined in law, in the Adoption and Children Act 2002, that same-sex couples get exactly the same rights as heterosexual couples when it comes to adoption, Stuart says he definitely felt they were treated differently because they were gay. "We went for an open evening at Stockport Council and noticed that our names were highlighted in red on the attendance register but nobody else's was," Stuart says. "But once we found the right agency – After Adoption – it was superb. They were very supportive, really thorough, and it really wasn't an issue that we were gay."

To read more go to http://bit.ly/oCApko

Gay Family Case Study – Can you help?

The Independent newspaper are doing feature about same-sex parents and would love to speak to lesbian or gay couples who are bringing up children together.
It would be very straightforward - about what it's like at the school gates, other people's perceptions, whether attitudes are changing and also simple practical issues. It would be for a phone interview which could be done anonymously if you prefer.

If you can help at all please email: info@prideangel.com or alternatively contact us at Pride Angel for further information.

The piece is tied to a new newspaper that is coming out called Pink Parenting.

With modern life comes the modern family as many gay and lesbian couples seek to fulfill their biological needs of having a family. Pink Parenting is here to do just that.

Bringing you everything you need to start a family from surrogacy options, adoption and the legal aspects of being a modern family to what's the best stroller out there on the market.

Find out more about Pink Parenting magazine just visit: www.pink-parenting.com

For more information about sperm donation, using a known donor and gay parenting visit www.prideangel.com

Gay and lesbian parenting research - can you help?

Would you like to take part in some cutting edge, exciting new research?

Emilie Garvey, an undergraduate Sociology student at Newcastle University, is interested in hearing from lesbian and gay individuals and couples to take part in an exciting project in a new and expanding area of research: Assisted Reproduction and the Alternative Family. The aim of the study is to explore the experiences of same-sex couples in their decision-making processes involved in starting a family of their own with the aid of assisted reproduction technologies. The study also welcomes participation from gay and lesbian individuals who might start a family in the future or who simply would like to offer an opinion or point of view for the research.

Why is the study being done?

Recent changes in legislation have widened the options available for same-sex couples who wish to start a family. Media portrayals of celebrity couples undergoing such processes have also recently increased public awareness of the decision making process, the social stigma that such couples might have to face and have offered a chance to ‘look inside’ the ‘Alternative Family’. This study, however, aims to research the decision making processes involved prior to, and throughout, the process. The researcher also hopes gain an in depth understanding of the obstacles and hurdles which affect same-sex couples in the UK who wish to have a family of their own.

Am I eligible to take part?

If you are a lesbian woman or gay man, single, in a relationship or in a civil partnership, who have experience of assisted reproduction in starting a family, or who would simply like to offer the researcher an opinion on the issues involved, you are eligible to take part in this study.

To read more go to http://bit.ly/hlKLTU