St Vincent’s Cathedral School, a Texas based private faith school,  has denied the admission of a lesbian couple’s daughter stating that they base their enrolment policies on the “clear teaching of the Christian faith”

Reportedly telling the HLN news network that they would not deviate from their stance over “matters of marriage and sex outside marriage”, the school made it very clear that they would not welcome the admission of  4-year-old Olivia Harrison with Reverend Ryan Reed apparently saying

“We based our decisions about enrollment on what is best for the children of St Vincent’s as a whole and in conformity with the above standards. We regret the disappointment the mother feels, but also do not understand why she would want to enroll her child in a school that would undercut her own personal values.”

Jill Harrison, Olivia’s mother alleges that there was no problem with the admission of her daughter until she attended a parents’ evening with her partner Tracy Harrison who said they had hoped the school would  teach their daughter “the basic Bible teachings … follow the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, be kind to your neighbor.”

Following the decision however not to allow Olivia to be admitted the parents have said that they are fine with the decision as they wouldn’t want their child to be somewhere where they did believe in or condone their relationship.

Reed also made it clear that this tough line of application wasn’t a personal issue saying they’d also rejected an application from another gay household, fired an unmarried teacher who became pregnant and also another member of staff who left his wife for another woman.

Via Pink News / Photo credit: respres

Gary Spino and Tony Brown are two men who have committed to fight the gay fight all of their lives, and whilst they’ve faced some major challenges, they’re now facing perhaps the biggest of their life -  becoming parents.

Filmed  by CNN’s In America series, to be shown on 24th June, this documentary, presented by Soledad O’Brien follows the couple as they face both biological and legal challenges that see them trying to find an egg donor, a surrogate, and win a string of court battles that face them.

And if you think that’s the only challenges they’ve got to face you’re wrong, because even with legal and biological battles being fought, there’s one even bigger and just as difficult one to win – the approval of thosr around them.

CNN IN America Gary & Tony Have a Baby Trailer

Gary & Tony Have a Baby: Stranger Helps Gay Couple Make a Family

You can find out more about the CNN In America: Gary & Tony Have a Baby special at the CNN in America website.

A fifth grade student has said that her teacher ignored her injuries from falling over in the playground, which included a gash on her face, dried blood between her loosened permanent teeth, cut lips and a swollen nose, because her parents were lesbians. One of the mothers of Bissell, Shannon Peterson also backs up her daughters claims saying that when she asked why her daughter hasn’t been treated that the teacher had said yes it was because she had lesbian parents and that Peterson should take her children to another school.

Left with her injuries unattended for hours Jenna Bissell’s parents have now decided bring a civil rights suit against Rio Rancho Public Schools, where Bissell attended the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, and moved Jenna to a new school.

Tonna Burgos, executive director of Student Services for RRPS said that she could not comment on the specific case but that:

“We’re very diligent about making sure we respect all students,”

The District spokeswoman Kim Vesely said that if any teacher had discriminated against a student they would be disciplined, but said that “there are differing versions of what occurred”.

Peterson however is adamant that the reason for her daughter being ignored was down to her same sex parents, saying it had long been an issue of tension, something that Jenna highlight concerning a piece she wrote about her parents’ wedding in Iowa, where gay marriage is legal:

“She threw out the whole page about where my moms got married and how beautiful it was,”
“She said, ‘This is gross, this is horrible, you need to write about something else.’”

Peterson said they hadn’t moved their daughter straight away because they hoped things would improve and “We try to teach her that there’s going to be people like this all through life, and you’re going to have to live with it and try to stick it out,” . The family have already sought to get money for the girl’s medical expenses but failed, and so are now looking to sue for negligence and violation of Bissell’s civil rights.

Via Daily Me.

Whilst off doing a bit of research for an upcoming gay parenting article, we stumbled across this little gem of an interview from 2008 by Me Me Me.tv with Celine Dion, in which she not only confessed to once having three double tequilas in a Las Vegas nightclub (oooh you rebel Celine…), but also said that she wouldn’t care if her son, Rene Charles, turned out to be gay or not, saying that

“I want him to be successful as a human being. I want my son to be able to talk to me. I’m with him, I wanted that son. If he’s a gay person, he’s not any less of my son, or any less happy for that.”

And just in case you’re not sure that this diva truly understands about gay people and gay left, then her description of gay people should rid you of any such worries, with Ms Dion saying

“You know what, I think gay people know how to have fun! And if you can’t have a good time and just play, it’s not worth it. You have to have a good time.”

Oh if you don’t think Celine Dion knows how to have fun then you’re very much mistaken, because this is a lady who definitely knows how to enjoy herself… particularly with dancing flowers and their trumpets.

A gay man who donated his sperm to a lesbian couple to allow them to have a  baby together has been granted access to the child at the Supreme Court in Ireland.

Acting to overturn a previous decision from a High Court which said he should not be able to see the child, the Supreme Court did agree that the 42 year old man, who can only be identified as “A” would not be entitled to guardianship.

The lesbian couple had signed an agreement with the man, when he donated the sperm, saying he would have the the role of a ‘favourite uncle’ with access at their discretion. However once the child was born in 2006, “A” then made the decision to go to the High Court to seek both guardianship and access.

At that time Justice John Hedigan ruled the welfare of the child was best served by the child staying with his lesbian parents. He also ruled there should be no court ordered access and that the lesbian couple, who lived together in a long term committed relationship, should be seen as a de facto family and were entitled to family rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, something “A” wasn’t entitled to as he only had a biological relationship.

This decision has however now been overturned by five judges of the Supreme Court who believe access to his father is in the best interest of the boy. Ms Justice Susan Denham also ruled the lesbian couple could not been seen as a family under the Constitution, and that the concept of a de facto did not exist in Ireland.

In relation to the father, she found that the High Court had ignored the importance of “A” as the biological father, and said he not only had rights as a natural father, but it was of benefit to the child for him to have the contact.

Ruling that if the parties could not agree on access the matter should be determined by the High Court, “A” was said to be ‘very, very happy’ with the decision. The lesbian parents of the child have yet to make any comment.

Hat tip to RTE News, photo by apdk via Flickr.