Politics and Law

American flag with children's silhouettes

(Re)building Our Nation: July 4th, Hamilton, and LGBTQ Families

I am thinking this July 4th week of a song from the musical “Hamilton,” which sees its television premiere on Friday. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr sing together to their children about their new country, “We’ll bleed and fight for you, we’ll make it right for you./ If we lay a strong enough foundation/ We’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you/ And you’ll blow us all away.” What is the world we want to leave to our children? What do we need to do to make it happen?

Five Years of Marriage Equality, Brought to You in Large Part by Parents

Five years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that marriage should be open to all couples, no matter their gender—and one of the strongest arguments in the case was the best interests of children. Yet even five years after marriage equality, we are still struggling towards full equality for our families.

Birth Certificate

Indiana Asks Supreme Court to Deny Same-Sex Parents’ Right to Both Be on Kids’ Birth Certificates Without Adoption

Indiana has just asked the U.S. Supreme Court to deny the right of married nonbiological mothers in same-sex couples to be put on their children’s birth certificates without second-parent adoptions. Should Indiana prevail, many children across the country could be denied the legal protection of both parents from the moment of birth. Pull up a chair; we’re going to explore this one in detail.

U.S. Supreme Court

Good News, Bad News: Supreme Court Rules for LGBTQ Employment Equality While Trump Administration Finalizes Anti-LGBTQ Healthcare Rule

The U.S. Supreme Court surprised many today with a landmark 6-3 ruling, written by Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch, stating that people cannot be fired from their jobs because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Yet last Friday, the Trump administration finalized a rule that says health care anti-discrimination protections don’t cover discrimination based on LGBTQ identities.

RFK Building, U.S. Department of Justice

Trump Administration Brief Supports Rejecting LGBTQ People as Foster Parents

The Trump Administration last week filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court stating that taxpayer-funded child welfare agencies should be allowed to discriminate against LGBTQ people and others if serving them conflicts with the agency’s religious beliefs. The administration’s position should come as a surprise to exactly no one.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Hubert Humphrey Building

HHS Eliminates Data Collection on Sexual Orientation of Foster Youth and Foster Parents

The Trump Administration has  a cruel sense of timing. This month, National Foster Care Month, they have stopped collecting data on the sexual orientation of youth in foster care and of foster and adoptive parents. The data is needed to make the right decisions and track outcomes for youth in care, advocates say. This comes after the administration issued a new rule on the first day of National Adoption Month last November, which allows taxpayer-funded foster care and adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ people and others.

In Memoriam: Phyllis Lyon, LGBTQ Civil Rights Pioneer

LGBTQ civil rights icon Phyllis Lyon died yesterday from natural causes at her home in San Francisco. She was 95. She and her spouse Del Martin were the first same-sex couple to marry legally in San Francisco in 2008—but her contribution to LGBTQ equality goes far beyond that.

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