Several years ago at a diversity event, a woman stood up and showed us all a photo of her half-Caucasian, half-African-American grandson. The woman told the group that another family member had been quite bigoted against black people, but the baby changed the relative's prejudice attitudes. The woman choked up, as did many of us listening to her story, because it showed how narrow attitudes can change through the power of relationships with others.

When I saw the White House-released photo this morning of Dick and Lynne Cheney holding their 8-pound, 6-ounce grandson, their sixth grandchild, I wondered if there might be some changes in attitudes toward gay and lesbian parenting by the vice president and his wife.

The baby's mother is Mary Cheney, the VP's daughter. She will raise Samuel David Cheney with her longtime lesbian partner Heather Poe.

Those Cheney grandparent smiles looked genuine, the same smiles I've seen many times on faces of grandparents and aunts and uncles when a new child is born healthy into a family.

(White House photo)