This episode of the AllPaths podcast features Dana Rudolph, founder and publisher of the two-time GLAAD Media Award-winning LGBTQ+ parenting site Mombian. Dana shares her personal family-building story from the early 2000s, detailing her and her partner’s experience with reciprocal IVF. She reflects on the medical complexities of syncing cycles and the legal hurdles they faced in New Jersey, where they successfully petitioned for a pre-birth parentage order to ensure both parents were legally recognized from the moment of their son’s birth.
The conversation explores the 21-year evolution of Mombian, which Dana started as a new parent to provide the queer-focused parenting news and commentary that she found was missing from mainstream media. A major cornerstone of her work is an extensive LGBTQ+ book database, created to help families find quality representation. Dana also discusses the inspiration behind LGBTQ Families Day, an annual celebration she founded to honor diverse family structures and foster community visibility during the “parental holiday season” each Spring.
Finally, Dana offers a nuanced look at the current state of LGBTQ+ family-building, noting that while there has been significant progress in marriage equality and inclusive fertility clinic practices, there is also a concerning “backsliding” through recent book bans and restrictive state legislation. She highlights the importance of organizations like COLAGE, elevates the voices of children of LGBTQ+ parents, and emphasizes that these families are “part of the world” with joys and challenges just like any other. To those just starting their journey, she offers a reminder that queer families have a long, rich history and that no one has to navigate the path to parenthood alone.
Dana Rudolph (she/her) is the founder and publisher of the two-time GLAAD Media Award-winning blog Mombian (mombian.com), which since 2005 has offered lesbian moms and other LGBTQ parents a mix of news, opinions, resources, and more. It includes a growing database of 2,000+ LGBTQ family books, with her reviews. Dana also writes a regular Mombian column for several LGBTQ newspapers around the U.S. She is the creator of LGBTQ Families Day (the first weekday of June), an annual event that celebrates all families with LGBTQ people in them. In 2018, she received the Hostetter-Habib Family Award from Family Equality, the leading national organization for LGBTQ families. In addition, Dana has worked in Internet strategy, content, and marketing since the first dotcom boom. She lives in the Boston area with her spouse of 33 years and they have a grown son.
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