Congratulations to the LGBTQ parents being sworn into office today and in the following week or so! Here’s a more detailed look at the winners from the more than three dozen queer parents—and one of our kids—who ran this past November.
LGBTQ parents and our children faced significant challenges to equality and inclusion in 2018—but there was still some progress. Here are the highlights of the year, both good and bad.
There’s been more coverage on both coasts of the new free forms that some states have just approved, giving same-sex parents, even when unmarried, legal rights to a child born to one of them, with the force of a court order. Read or watch below!
An appeals court in Kentucky has ruled against a nonbiological mother seeking joint custody and visitation of the child she was raising with her former partner, even though a lower court had found both women to have equal parental rights. The women were unmarried—and the case raises troubling concerns for unmarried same-sex parents.
A simple, free form that gives both parents, regardless of gender, legal parentage of a child born to one of them, with the force of a court decree? Such a thing exists in a small but growing number of states, as the Associated Press recently reported. That’s terrific progress—but there’s still a long way to go before it’s a widespread option for securing parentage.
Yesterday’s election saw the first openly gay man—and gay dad—to win a governorship, the first lesbian mom to win election to Congress, and the first person with LGBTQ parents to win state or federal office.
Go vote! Now. Or after the kids are at school. Or when you pick them up, so they can come, too. Or on your way to work, from work, or on your lunch hour. Your vote matters because you matter.
When are you voting tomorrow? Do you have a plan? This could be one of the most critical elections in our lifetimes in terms of its impact on LGBTQ equality, reproductive rights, gun control, healthcare, education, immigration, separation of church and state, and so much more. We can’t sit this one out.
Despite a litany of hateful and harmful events in our country, this is not a time to despair, even though despair may be trying to peek in our windows. This is a time for action—and the best action we can take right now is to vote and enable others to vote as well.
What’s the best way to keep years of progress towards LGBTQ equality from slipping away? Vote! In many states, you can do so right now. Here’s how!
