State Court Rulings Show Divergent Definitions of Parenthood for Same-Sex Couples
Two recent state supreme court rulings, in Alaska and Idaho, underline the wildly different requirements same-sex parents may face to prove their parenthood.
Advocating
Lesbian Sues HHS for Funding Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination in Foster Care
A lesbian who wants to become a foster parent for a child in a taxpayer-funded program for unaccompanied refugee children was unable to do so because the government is working through an agency that discriminates against LGBTQ people. Now she’s suing.
Two Moms Sue Nebraska for Full, Equal Parentage Rights Over Their Children
Two women ex-partners are cooperatively suing the state of Nebraska for full, equal parentage rights over the children they had together. The case could mean the further expansion of voluntary acknowledgments of parentage—simple, free forms to establish legal parentage—to parents of all genders.
LGBTQ Parenting Roundup
Pull up a chair and check out some of these great recent stories about LGBTQ families, including ones on donor kin, becoming a parent at an older age, and sharing household responsibilities!
HBO’s “Nuclear Family”: A Landmark Lesbian Parentage Case and a Daughter’s Search for Understanding
It is many a queer parent’s nightmare: your child’s sperm donor sues for paternity. When it happened to Robin Young and Sandy Russo in 1991, it precipitated a landmark four-year court battle that indelibly marked 9-year-old Ry Russo-Young and her 11-year-old sister Cade. Yet Ry, now an award-winning filmmaker, had never really been able to process her feelings about what happened. Her attempt to do so, and to understand the other side of the story, led her to create Nuclear Family, a three-part documentary that premieres this Sunday on HBO.
Aetna Admits It Wrongly Denied Fertility Coverage to Queer Mom
After a lawsuit by a queer mom, insurance giant Aetna has said it improperly denied her fertility coverage and will review similar cases. Whether this means a larger change towards equal treatment of LGBTQ people under their policies remains an open question.
Queer Parent Paralympians All Earn Medals
All three queer parents who competed at the Paralympics this year won medals, including gold!
Remembering 9/11, 20 Years Later
It is not coincidental that shortly after September 11, 2001, my spouse and I began to talk seriously about having a child, after more than eight years together. Many of us have a 9/11 story. Here’s mine.
Paralympic Gold Medalist Was Raised by Two Moms (and There’s a New Picture Book About Her)
Tatyana McFadden last Saturday won her 20th Paralympic medal—8th gold—and set her 3rd world record! A new picture book biography traces her life from an orphanage in Russia, to being raised by two moms, to becoming “the fastest woman on Earth.”
How You Can Help Fight the Texas Abortion Law — and Why It’s a Queer Issue
The Texas abortion ban that was just upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court is a hugely frightening development for anyone who can get pregnant and for anyone who cares about reproductive rights, including not only abortion access but also assisted reproduction. That’s enough to make it a queer issue—but it has even more possible ramifications for other civil and human rights issues, including LGBTQ rights.