First Person

by Dena Fischer

My husband was ready for kids long before I was. And I do mean kids. He wasn’t thinking crying babies, piles of diapers, spit up, shopping for bjorns, bumpers and burp cloths.

His vision was of family – of throwing a ball with his boy, of a little girl throwing her arms around his knees to welcome him home from work.

by Melissa B. Brisman, Esq.

This month’s legal update begins with a discussion of recent steps taken by the Council of Europe to combat discrimination against members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities in countries across Europe. Next, the update focuses on a new Austrian law that brings same-sex couples in the country one step closer to equal treatment with their heterosexual counterparts. The third item in the update highlights a new law in Southern Australia that allows heterosexual couples there to have children through the use of uncompensated surrogates. Finally, this month’s legal update ends back in the United States with a case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is considering whether an insurance company can deny maternity benefits to a pregnant female member based on the fact that she is acting as a surrogate for someone else.

by Melissa B. Brisman, Esq.

This month’s legal update begins with a discussion of a legal dispute between a divorced couple over the custody and disposition of cryopreserved embryos created during their marriage. Next, a bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by California Representative Pete Stark entitled the “Every Child Deserves a Family Act” to prohibit discrimination of adoptive and foster parents based on sexual orientation, gender identification, or marital status. Finally, a recent decision out of the Kings County Supreme Court in New York State held that a transsexual father had standing to petition for custody of a non-biological child created during his marriage.

by Kristen Magnacca

When was the last time you had fun? The kind of fun that resulted in laughing so hard it hurt?

If you can’t remember, then here are your marching orders:

1) Hum Cindy Lauper’s Girls Just Want to Have Fun focusing on these lyrics:

“That’s all they really want?
Some fun?
When the workin' day is done?
Oh girls they wanna have fun?
Oh girls just wanna have fun”?