The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) yesterday launched #Equality4Families, a campaign to raise awareness about the need to reform state laws so they fully protect LGBT parents’ rights to care for their children.
As I’ve written before, marriage equality alone is not enough to ensure parental rights, especially for non-biological parents. NCLR explains:
In nearly every state across the country, LGBT parents will continue to face obstacles in caring for their children because state laws have not caught up to the needs of the LGBT community’s diverse families. Many families are left vulnerable: parents can lose parental rights as they travel across state lines, may be unable to seek custody of their own children, or may not be afforded the same parental recognition as non-LGBT parents.
NCLR also offers further facts about parenting laws, noting, for example, that “in most states, you have to be married when your children are born to get any parenting protections.” They’ve also gathered a whole passel of resources on legal protections for families, including both national and state-specific resources.
If you’re not 100% sure you have legal rights over your children, especially if you’re in a state that has only had marriage equality since this past June, go read. If you are 100% sure, go read anyway, so you can better inform others.
