(MATT BAUME) Do All Kids Need a Mother and Father?

You hear the claim all the time from anti-gay groups: children deserve a mom and a dad. But is it true? What does the science ACTUALLY say about same-sex parents? How do they compare to straight parents? And are they as statistically likely to have embarrassing taste in music?

DEBUT! (Family Matters) Via surrogacy, some men opt to become single dads!

File

by DAVID CRARY

Trey Powell's first name has an extra resonance these days. Though still a bachelor, he now presides over a family of three as the dad of twin daughters born six months ago via a surrogate mother.

"I feel so lucky every day," Powell said.

At 42, he's a new addition to the ranks of men who intentionally seek the role of single father. While some opt for adoption, others yearn to have children with genetic ties and are willing to invest $100,000 or more to make that happen.

There are no firm numbers of how many men have taken this route. It's clearly still a rarity, although Growing Generations, a leading for-profit surrogacy agency in Los Angeles, says its caseload of single men has risen steadily and totaled about 25 cases last year.

Experts say the driving force is generally a male equivalent of the "biological clock" that prompts some unmarried women to have children while they're still fertile.

(MY View) Six Degrees of Savage!

by Dan Bucatinsky

I'm in the car, and my 7-year-old daughter is fighting with my 5-year-old son over a game on my iPhone called "Subway Surfer," which I made the mistake of surrendering to them in order to break up another fight that started when she told him that he's "not handsome, just cute" -- ironic given the fact that she'd spelled "cute" with a Q on her last spelling test before the holidays. His ego bruised, tears exploded from his eyes. Apologies were demanded and resisted.

"I didn't say a bad thing!" said my daughter.

"She hurt my feeleeengs," said my boy.

They were both right. And wrong. And hateful. And, OK, they're "qute." And this hideously interminable winter break from school -- like Richard III, I feel, this winter of our discontent -- is chugging way too slowly toward its end. The question pops into my head for the eleventy-millionth time: "Really? You had to have kids?" Why?

(POP NEWS) Madonna Drama; NPH; Sex Potter; Williams; Not Getting Better; Shacked; Babs Magic!

• EXPRESSED: Madonna Urges Fans to Vote for the 'Black Muslim in the White House'!

• SOLD: Neil Patrick Harris has a book deal!

• SEXED UP: JK Rowling's Latest Decidedly Not for Kids!

• ICONIC: Moon River' Singer Andy Williams Dead at 84!

• NOT GETTING BETTER: Suicide Kills More Americans Than Car Crashes!

• GOO: Asian Airline Offers No-Baby 'Quiet Zone'!

• PIMPED: Hong Kong Billionaire Offers $65 Million to Any Man Who Successfully Woos His Lesbian Daughter!

• TAKING BREAK: Nadal not sure when he’ll return to tour!

• FORCED: Pattinson, Stewart Shackin' Up Again!

• MAGIC: Barbra Streisand to duet with son Jason Gould!

(POP NEWS) Cold Paris; Kooky Amanda; Chris Brown; Normal; Ready for Oz!

• NOT HOT: Paris Hilton Comments On Gay Men And AIDS Actually Are Shocking; Later Apologizes!

• DENIAL: Amanda Bynes Says She's 'Amazing,' But Acting Kookier!

• ERASED: New App Lets You Delete Chris Brown From Internet!

• CLEANSED: Robin Roberts Receives Bone Marrow Transplant!

• NEW FAMILY: Another Look at ‘The New Normal’ and the Road to Becoming a Parent through Surrogacy!

FINALLY: Starbucks Rolls Out Single-Serve Espresso Maker!

• TOO MUCH SUMMER: Lives Get Shorter for Less Educated Whites!

• READY FOR OZ: Dark Knight Suspect Gets Rid of Orange Hair!

(POP NEWS) Ambassador Killed; William; NBC; Homophobe; Paquin; KStew; Quinto; Urie Dish!

• BREAKING: US Ambassador to Libya Killed in Attack!

• GEN-R: William Wants 2 Kids With Kate!

• SNUB: NBC Picks Kardashians Over Moment of Silence!

• EXCUSED: Would-Be Juror: Don't Pick Me, I'm A Racist Homophobe!

• BI-KIDZ: Paquin, Moyer Have Twins!

• NEXT GIG: KStew's Next 'Beard Gig' is James Franco?

• FACTS: Surrogacy Expert Weighs in on 'The New Normal'!

• GLEE-FUL: Zachary Quinto On His Celebrity Boyfriend!

• DISH: Michael Urie on hunky TV boyfriend Brandon Routh!

(POP NEWS): Ricky's Family; Reese's Baby; Ri-Diss; Gay Rumors; Madonna's Mission; Tebow!

• FAMILY ALERT: Ricky Martin Photographed for Spain's 'Vanity Fair' with Twins and Partner Carlos! 

• BABY BOOM: Reese Witherspoon Pregnant!

• DIVA ALERT: Rihanna Dissed by... 60-Something Rocker? 

• INVASION: Kylie Minogue Hits Australia with Minimalist 'Anti-Tour'! 

• LOVE: UK Boyband JLS Unconcerned About Gay Rumors! 

• MISSION: Madonna Says She Will Go to St. Petersburg, Russia and Condemn Anti-Gay 'Atrocity'! 

• FORBIDDEN: Atlantis Cruise Passengers Arrested for Gay Sex in Dominica!  

• It's Official: Tim Tebow Goes to Jets!

NEXT: Thousands Expected at Washington Capitol as First Hearings on Marriage Equality Begin!

The first hearings over the marriage equality legislation introduced by Governor Chris Gregoire are scheduled for today at Washington's Capitol in Olympia, and thousands on both sides are expected to rally, the Seattle Times reports: Stand for Marriage Washington — a loosely organized coalition of conservative lawmakers, well-known evangelical pastors, the Tri-City Tea Party and the Constitution Party of Washington — predicts as many as 10,000 people will flood the Capitol for a noontime rally in opposition to gay marriage.

FAMILY LOVE: Lea Michele Tweets Photo of Her Gay 'Glee' Dads Brian Stokes Mitchell and Jeff Goldblum!

Gay dads on the Glee set (via @msleamichele Twitter)

HIDDEN: Brad, Angelina Expecting?

It's been a while since the latest round of Angelina-Jolie-is-pregnant-rumors, so here we go again: "She's almost three months along" with her seventh child, a source tells OK!. "It's not something she wants to officially announce but she's at a point where she is telling a select group of people." Another insider says Jolie is dealing with morning sickness, "but says it's all worth it." A source adds that, in preparation, Jolie has redone her room in white so that it has a "Zen-like feeling" that will put her "mind at peace," the Telegraph adds.

Presumably Jolie, who was looking super-sleek at the Golden Globes, will also have to start eating more. Along those lines, the Mirror also has this gem of a quote from an alleged pal: "Because Angelina sees so much starvation up close, its always hard for her to indulge in food."

BACK: Parenting Rights Restored To Lesbian Mom!

In Brevard County, FL, a mother's parenting rights have been restored in appeals court after a previous ruling decreed she had none, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

The woman, a police officer, was in a committed same-sex relationship for more than 11 years. Her partner was infertile; she was not. When the couple decided to have a baby, this woman donated one of her eggs, which was implanted in her partner's womb and brought to term. When the couple split last year, a Brevard County court ruled that the partner who gave birth to the child should have sole parenting rights, though he said the decision "broke his heart." But the law was the law; the partner who donated her egg had no legal standing. Not so, apparently. Last week, writes the Sentinel:

... a state appeals court in Daytona Beach overturned [the] decision, saying the other mother has parental rights, too.


The 5th District Court of Appeal ruled that the U.S. and Florida constitutions trump Florida law and give parenting rights to both women. State law, it added, has not kept up with the times.
"This is a unique case, and the appellate courts in Florida have never before considered a case quite like it," it said.

(MY view) A Christmas Remembrance!

Kelly Glossip (seated) and partner Dennis Englehard

By Kelly Glossip
Via Advocate.com


Two Christmases ago, I lost the love of my life, Missouri State Highway Patrol corporal Dennis Engelhard.

For 15 years, Dennis and I supported each other like any other committed, married couple. We were embraced by our church and our community. The only thing that stopped us from getting married was that Missouri law would not allow it. We hoped to see the day when Missouri would join other states across the country in granting us the freedom to marry. Tragically, we never had that chance.

WOOF: Move Over Tiger Mom, It's 'Wolf Dad'!

"Tiger Mother" Amy Chua may have been strict with her daughters, pushing academics ahead of sleepovers, but she's practically a kitten compared to "Wolf Dad" Xiao Baiyou, who has written a bestselling book in mainland China originally called Beat Them Into Peking University, reports NPR.

Xiao boasts of having more than 1,000 rules for his four children—from how to hold chopsticks to how to sleep and use a quilt. "If you don't follow the rules, then I must beat you," Xiao says. He uses a feather duster, however, not a belt. "From 3 to 12, kids are mainly animals," he says. "Their humanity and social nature still aren't complete. So you have to use Pavlovian methods to educate them." His usual punishment technique is to hit his kids with the feather duster on the back of the legs or their palms. All the children must watch, and if a younger sibling gets thwacked, then so does the elder, for being a poor role model. Xiao says it's not child abuse, and proudly points out that three of his four children got into Peking University, the Harvard of China. Not surprisingly, his children are less impressed by dad's tough style. "There may be some distance from the best results," says his 22-year-old son. Adds his wife: "Maybe they didn't need to be beaten quite so often."

APPROVED: Lawsuit by Gay Couples Seeking Marriage in NJ Can Proceed!

A New Jersey judge today ruled that a lawsuit brought by gay and lesbian couples seeking same-sex marriage in the state can proceed, the Star-Ledger reports: If the law creating civil unions does not give same-sex couples the same protections as married heterosexual couples, it has to be examined as to whether it is constitutional, Mercer County Assignment Judge Linda Feinberg said during a hearing in Trenton this afternoon.

But in dismissing three counts of the complaint, Feinberg also said there is no fundamental right to same-sex marriage under the state Constitution. One count of the suit — a claim that the civil union law does not give them equal protection — remains.

HEALTH ALERT: Boys Should Get HPV Shot, Too!

A CDC committee voted overwhelmingly today to recommend the HPV vaccine for boys as well as girls, reasoning that it will protect them from some cancers of the penis and rectum, while also preventing them from transmitting HPV to the people they sleep with. Twelve panel members voted for the recommendation, with one abstaining, CNN reports.

The committee recommends boys get the shot as early as age 9. The vaccine has been FDA approved for males since 2009, but it hasn’t been marketed toward them. The CDC is making this push now in part because not as many girls are being vaccinated as doctors had hoped. “If the boys are also immunized, it reduces the transmission back and forth,” one CDC adviser explained.

EGG SWAP: Australian Lesbians Propose A Trade!

Andrea and Alisa are a lesbian couple in New South Wales, Australia. They want a baby. They don't want to adopt, and they don't want to use the genetic material of some anonymous donor. Of the search for appropriate DNA, Elisa says: "It's not like looking through a catalogue for a pair of shoes. This is a potential child."

The couple sought an appropriate sperm donor through an ad in a gay publication. They met with a few putative papas, but none clicked.

Then, according to the Sydney Morning Herald: ... the pair conceived the idea of approaching heterosexual couples and arranging an egg-for-sperm swap.

FAMILY LOVE: Nation Sees 'Stratospheric' Increase in Adoptions by Gay Couples!

Photo via Towleroad

Adoptions by gay couples have nearly tripled in the last 10 years, the AP reports:

About 21,740 same-sex couples had adopted children in 2009, up from 6,477 in 2000, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. About 32,571 adopted children were living with same-sex couples in 2009, up from 8,310 in 2000. The figures are an analysis of newly released Census Bureau estimates.

The New York-based Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute released a report Thursday culminating a four-year project surveying 158 gay and lesbian parents and their experience with the adoption process. Their researchers found the highest number of homosexuals adopted children from Massachusetts, California, New York and Texas.

BUMMED: New Sesame Street Muppet Is Poor and Hungry!

Sesame Street has got a hungry, impoverished new character—and it isn't Oscar the Grouch or the Cookie Monster. Lily, a 7-year-old girl whose family often struggles to get enough to eat, will appear in the show's prime-time special "Growing Hope Against Hunger" this Sunday, reports Entertainment Weekly. The Wal-Mart-sponsored special looks at the issue of hunger, which affects an estimated 17 million Americans. The special will be hosted by country singer Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberley. "Food insecurity is a growing and difficult issue for adults to discuss, much less children,” the couple said in a statement. “We are honored that Sesame Street, with its long history of tackling difficult issues with sensitivity, caring, and warmth asked us to be a part of this important project."

Perhaps Cookie Monster will share some Cookies?

CUT: Calif. Bans Circumcision Bans!

The state of California has snipped San Francisco's uppity bid to erect a ban on circumcision. Any such ban is now banned in a law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. Ban backers had collected nearly 8,000 signatures to put the measure to a vote in the city in November, arguing that circumcision is unnecessary surgery that can be dangerous. The issue was pretty much moot, even before the new state law, because a judge had already blocked the ballot measure that stirred controversy among Jews, Muslims, and many in the medical community. The state law was introduced by Democratic Assemblyman Mike Gatto, who told the Los Angeles Times that the measure, signed yesterday, would "protect parental rights and liberties."

APPROVED: UK Passports Update 'Mother' and 'Father' Language to Accommodate Gay Parents!

Language on UK passports is being updated to accommodate same-sex couples, the BBC reports: New forms including "parent one" and "parent two" alongside "mother" and "father" are expected to be brought in by the end of the year.

The Home Office says the additional terms will ensure passports are issued securely and safely to the right person. Gay rights groups say the current form is "discriminatory" but family values campaigners say the changes denigrate the roles of mothers and fathers.

The proposals also include sex-free passports to allow transgender people to opt out of identifying themselves as either male or female.