All same-sex parents and prospective parents in the U.S. should drop everything to go read this vital information on protecting your parental rights even after you have marital rights. The two are still not one and the same.
The Supreme Court ruling for marriage equality is a tremendous victory, but as we’ve seen before when individual states have enacted it, recognition of parental rights doesn’t necessarily follow. That’s why many of the fine organizations that led the fight for marriage equality—the ACLU, Freedom to Marry, GLAD, HRC, Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights—have created the site Marriage Equality Facts and compiled key information that will help us protect our families.
For parents, perhaps the most critical piece of information is “We strongly recommend that every parent who is not a biological parent—married or not—get an adoption or, if possible, a court judgment of parentage.” Why? “Not all states fully respect non-biological parents, even when they are married, regardless of what the law requires. In addition, even if your parental rights are respected in the state where you live based on your marriage, you may be vulnerable when you travel or if you move to another state.”
That’s only scratching the surface of the information provided, so go have a read and find out what applies to your specific situation.
Parent-child relationships are just one piece of the picture. The site also covers Getting Married and Wedding Planning, Social Security Spousal Benefits, Veteran’s Spousal Benefits, Retirement Benefits, Income Taxes, and Employment Discrimination. Administrative stuff like this is not the most romantic part of being married or thinking about it, but it’s critical nonetheless.
