Gay Parent Magazine Blog

Below is the 4th year of cover portraits 2001 – 2002.
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On April 24, 2015, Gay Parent Magazine was honored to receive an award for Outstanding Magazine for the 9th Annual PrideIndex.com Esteem Awards.

PrideIndex.com is an online resource for news for the African American LGBT and gay-friendly companies. It houses profiles of gay authors, businesses, events, parties, conferences, fundraisers, support groups, and other online resources.

Since 2007, PrideIndex.com‘s Esteem Awards has honored local and national organizations and individuals for their continued efforts in supporting the African-American and LGBT communities in the areas of entertainment, media, civil rights, business and art. Click on the press release below to view their full list of honorees. Their award ceremony will be held on July 4, 2015 at Sidetrack in Chicago. For more information visit their web site PrideIndex.com.

Here is a link to their 2014 awards ceremony, http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/PrideIndex-holds-annual-Esteem-Awards-/48256.html

Below is the 3rd year of cover portraits 2000 – 2001.
Previous year | Next year

 

Below is the 2nd year of cover portraits 1999 – 2000.
Previous year | Next year

Below is the 1st year of cover portraits 1998 – 1999.
Next year

 

On Sunday, March 29, 2015, Gay Parent magazine Publisher & Editor, Angeline Acain, interviewed Lesléa Newman in front of a public audience. The event was held at the Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn, New York. Newman is the author of the famous first children’s book for gay parents, Heather Has Two Mommies, first published in 1989, and illustrated by Diana Souza. Twenty-five years later, a new edition with new illustrations by Laura Cornell has now been published. Cornell was also at the event.

At the event, Newman talked about when she first wrote the book, she was not aware that it would raise so much controversy. Newman had on hand both the classic Heather Has Two Mommies and the new edition, showing the audience the differences in the two versions. Newman spoke about how over the years, the book has been parodied and cited one example: Conan O’Brien coming up with a new flavor of Girl Scout cookies called Heather Has Two Mallomars.

Look for an in depth interview with Lesléa Newman in our July-August 2015 issue #101 through our web site, www.gayparentmag.com. For more information visit www.lesleakids.com.

Photos copyright Gay Parent magazine

On December 6, 2013 The Queens Pride House honored Angeline Acain, Publisher, Editor and owner of Gay Parent magazine at their 16th Anniversary Celebration in Jackson Heights, New York City. Acain was recognized for her work with Gay Parent magazine and the Queens Pride House LGBT parents and families group. Pauline Park, Queens Pride House Board of Directors President and Acting Executive Director presented Acain with a triangle shaped crystal Community Leadership award.

“There is a growing number of LGBT parents raising their children in Queens and the Queens Pride House is a safe place for the families to meet and socialize,” says Acain. The Queens Pride House is the only LGBT community center located in the ethnically diverse neighborhood of Jackson Heights in the borough of Queens.

In addition to Acain, Queens Pride House presented awards to Richard Saenz, Staff Attorney for the HIV/LGBT Advocacy Project at Queens Legal Services, and the group, CAAAV – Organizing Asian Communities.  Entertainment was provided by comic Red Durkin and musician Mary Mandolin. Queens Pride House is the LGBT community center in the borough of Queens, New York. For programming and events visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/queenspridehouse/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like our logo? If so you can now wear it or enjoy it on one of our products through our new Zazzle store. To purchase items go to http://www.zazzle.com/gay_parent_magazine.

First time shoppers are required to register a user name and password. Although specific styles of clothing and items are pictured, you can customize your order by selecting from many different styles and colors of clothing and items. Pictured are sample items. We’re adding more items to our photo display so check back. Click on the photos to go to our Zazzle store.

 

On September 4, 2013 Gay Parent magazine (GPM) had the pleasure of meeting with the group, LGBT Youth Japan. The group is a Tokyo based organization educating Japanese youth about the LGBT support systems employed by other countries. Their goal is to help guide Japan towards becoming a society whose members embrace diversity and “can accept and love each other for who they really are inside.” The group was in New York City on a 10-day study tour meeting with a variety of LGBT organizations and businesses and included Gay Parent magazine in their itinerary.

GPM publisher/editor Angeline Acain met with LGBT Youth Japan staff Ryoichi Ando to organize a meeting and the group met at Acain’s home in Queens. Says Acain, “The Japanese group members were excited when I ordered pizza and delighted to hear from special guests Pauline Park and the couple Alison Polizzi and Amy Rothman who are parents to two young children.” Polizzi is also an editorial contributor to GPM and writes a blog (http://www.lifeisquirkie.blogspot.com/). Park is a transgender activist, co-founder of Queens Pride House, the LGBT Community Center in Queens and New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy, the first statewide transgender advocacy organization in New York. Park negotiated inclusion of gender identity and expression in the Dignity for All Students Act, a safe schools bill enacted by the New York State Legislature in 2010, and the first fully transgender-inclusive legislation introduced in that body. She also served on the steering committee of the coalition that secured enactment of the Dignity in All Schools Act by the New York City Council in September 2004. In 2005, Park became the first openly transgender person chosen to be grand marshal of the New York City Pride March. Park came to the meeting with friend Asher Sullivan; Sullivan spoke of his experience as a young transman growing up in Vermont. Acain’s teenage daughter, Jiana, also spoke at the meeting giving her experience as a child being raised by lesbian mothers.

Eight members of LGBT Youth Japan attended the meeting, two did not want to be photographed and two wished to be identified only by their first name – the founder, Natsuko and member Yuriko. Staff included Maaya Kawahara, Mika Yakushi, Maki Kosaka and members included, Tomoya Shiraishi, and Kanako Takahashi. Yakushi is the founder of  another LGBT organization in Japan called Rebit and told us, unlike America, transgender people in Japan are more visible and accepted than gays and lesbians. Natsuko said she was inspired to start the organization when she was a student living in Boston. The group consisted of those that identified as LGBT as well as allies and some were still not out to their parents. When asked when she knew she was gay, one of the Japanese youth replied, “I knew when I was in Kindergarten.” We also learned that there are gay parents in Japan but they do not live openly and that there is an organization for gay parents called Niji-iro Kazoku (Rainbow Family) founded by Hal Ono.

After the meeting Maki Kosaka said the following in an email to Acain, “It was absolutely great meeting you and hearing about your great work. It was really eye opening, we learned a lot and we’ll utilize as much as possible when we go back to Japan. Also your story about what “family” means to you really touched our hearts. Some of us really want to have a family but it’s very difficult in Japan. But meeting you and your daughter motivated us so much to keep trying to make a difference in Japanese society and ourselves.”

Click here to see subsequent meetings with Gay Parent Magazine and LGBT Youth Japan http://blog.gayparentmag.com/gay-parent-mag-happenings/for-the-3rd-year-gay-parent-magazine-part-of-japan-youth-study-tour

 

We were married on January 12, 2013 in Houston, Texas surrounded by their family and friends.  Our honeymoon in New York City included a trip to the City Clerk’s office in Chinatown where we hijacked a lovely girl who spoke very little English to be our witness to make it legal (see photo).

– Wendy Perez

 

Photos courtesy of Wendy Perez

Want your wedding announcement published in Gay Parent magazine? Email us gayparentmag@gmail.com.