Useful links for Gay and Lesbian parents in Denver and Colorado

Drab Mayko via flickr

Here is a list of useful links for Denver Gay parents. All links are valid and active.

• Adoption by Gay and Lesbian Families a collection of information and resources about Gay and Lesbian adoption from the Child Welfare Information Gateway.
• Alternative Families.Org resources on surrogacy and assisted reproduction.
• Alternatives to Marriage Project The Alternatives to Marriage Project (AtMP) advocates for equality and fairness for unmarried people, including people who are single, choose not to marry, cannot marry, or live together before marriage. We provide support and information for this fast-growing constituency, fight discrimination on the basis of marital status, and educate the public and policymakers about relevant social and economic issues.
• APA report: Lesbian and Gay Parenting a summary of research findings on lesbian mothers, gay fathers, and their children written by Charlotte J. Patterson, PhD. “Not a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents. Indeed, the evidence to date suggests that home environments provided by lesbian and gay parents are as likely as those provided by heterosexual parents to support and enable children's psychosocial growth.”
• The Center The mission of The Center is to engage, empower, enrich, and advance the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community of Colorado.
• Children’s Development of Social Competence A Canadian Justice Department commissioned study that found that "The strongest conclusion that can be drawn from the empirical literature is that the vast majority of studies show that children living with two mothers and children living with a mother and father have the same levels of social competence. A few studies suggest that children with two lesbian mothers may have marginally better social competence than children in traditional nuclear families, even fewer studies show the opposite, and most studies fail to find any differences. The very limited body of research on children with two gay fathers supports this same conclusion."
• COLAGE  is a national movement of children, youth, and adults with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer (LGBTQ) parents. We build community and work toward social justice through youth empowerment, leadership development, education, and advocacy.
• Equal Marriage for Same-Sex Couples  Canadian-based gay marriage site by Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell
• Families Joined by Love At Families Joined by Love, we take pride in providing a variety of resources and services for LGBT parents (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender), their families, and the professionals who serve this rapidly growing community
• Equal Rights Colorado Colorado Gay, Lesbian and Transgender equal rights advocacy organization.
• Families Like Ours The mission of Families Like Ours, Inc. is to make change by reducing barriers within the adoption and foster care communities. Therefore, reducing the amount of time our children are waiting for a stable and safe forever family.
• Family Equality Council works to ensure equality for LGBT families by building community, changing hearts and minds, and advancing social justice for all families.
• Family Family Fun is an independent social group for Denver area families with lesbian, gay or transgender parents (couples or singles with children). We plan child friendly activities each month – zoo, parks, pumpkin patch, family concerts, and much, much more. The group provides parents and kids with a supportive network of friends in the community.
• Gay and Lesbian Family Values The purpose of this website is to provide support to the growing number of Gay and Lesbian couples or single parents who have children through a previous marriage, adoption. or by other means.
• Gay Christian Online Website for Gay Christians, Lesbian Christians, and those who support them.
• Gay Fatherhood a support site for Gay dads
• Gay Fathers The official blog of Gay Fatherhood, the global community for gay dads.
• GLSEN. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
• Good As You represents a new generation of GLBT activism. Now is the time for intelligent, progressive-minded individuals to step up and fight for the common rights of which they might be denied. We're here to rally the troops.
• Healthy Families Inititative LGBT healthy families initiative provides tools, resources and information to help you get and stay healthy.
• Human Rights Campaign As the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, the Human Rights Campaign represents a grassroots force of over 750,000 members and supporters nationwide — all committed to making HRC’s vision a reality. Founded in 1980, the Human Rights Campaign advocates on behalf of LGBT Americans, mobilizes grassroots actions in diverse communities, invests strategically to elect fair-minded individuals to office and educates the public about LGBT issues.
• LesbianFamily.org collection of blogs by all kinds of lesbian families.
• Mombian: Sustenance for Lesbian Moms. Mombian is a lifestyle site for lesbian moms and other LGBT parents, offering a mix of parenting, politics, diversions, and resources for all our varied roles.
• National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.
• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force The mission of the NGLTF is to build the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. We do this by training activists, equipping state and local organizations with the skills needed to organize broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and building the organizational capacity of our movement.
• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force families and parenting page. Good place to go if you want to take action.
• Pride and Joy Families dedicated to helping LGBT people build and strengthen their families.
• Prospective Queer Parents  to provide a forum for the exchange of information and a social gathering space for queer (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, etc.) people who are interested in child raising and parenting.
• Sperm Bank Of California (My friend works there.) Making the dream of family a reality since 1982. The first sperm bank specifically created to serve lesbian couples and single women.
• Trials of Queer Parenting A site for prospective queer parents and for those queers who are already parents to share their joys and pains.

If you know of any useful links that I did not include, PLEASE comment or email me. Help me make this site a virtual community center for Denvr's Gay and Lesbian parents. And if any of the links don't work, let me know that. Thanks.

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