The U.S. Department of Justice ruled Tuesday that the Social Security Administration must recognize the children of same-sex couples, including their relationship with non-biological parents, even though the federal Defense of Marriage Act prevents the government from recognizing or providing benefits to those couples. The opinion was offered in the case of a minor child […]
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled today that the state must enforce a Vermont court order awarding child-visitation rights to Janet Jenkins, a non-biological lesbian mom locked in a custody battle with her former partner, Lisa Miller. The Court rejected Miller’s claim that Virginia law and a state constitutional amendment against same-sex unions (including ones from
First, let’s revisit some good news about parental rights: Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) is the New England LGBT legal organization best known for its leading role in achieving marriage equality for same-sex couples in Massachusetts. Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director for GLAD, was also lead counsel in Goodridge v. Dept. of
This just in from Clare of When Do We Get the Toaster: Non-biological lesbian moms in New South Wales, Australia, will now have equal parenting rights and responsibilities under the law. The move brings NSW in line with Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory, as well as New Zealand and Canada.
Slate’s Emily Yoffe this week opined that “out-of-wedlock births are a national catastrophe” and marriage is the solution to childhood poverty and economic growth. Lauren Bruce at Offsprung has already taken her to task for her assertions, and notes that gay families are out of luck in Yoffe’s scenario. I’d like to add a bit
A lesbian mom in Texas is in a custody battle with her ex-partner’s uncle, the former couple’s known sperm donor. Tamila Payne says she tried to accommodate the donor’s wishes and let her son spend every other week with him, but the boy’s growing reluctance made her stop. Now the donor is suing for custody
The lower house of the Dutch parliament has agreed with a government proposal to allow same-sex couples to adopt children from abroad. Currently, same-sex couples can adopt children from the Netherlands, but not from elsewhere. The new law would also change adoption procedures to make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt from countries that
Are opponents of same-sex marriage forcing same-sex families to pursue legal strategies that could be more damaging to the traditional conception of family than same-sex marriage itself? That’s the provocative thesis of Dale Carpenter at Independent Gay Forum. It’s worth a read, especially in light of my post Tuesday about families with more than two
A piece of news too good to wait for my Weekly Political Roundup: Colorado is now the 10th state in the country to allow second-parent adoptions. Both same- and opposite-sex unmarried couples may now adopt children together. Governor Bill Ritter signed the bill into law yesterday, despite pressure from conservative religious groups to veto it.
In one of the more interesting recent cases involving same-sex parents, a Pennsylvania appellate court ruled that a lesbian couple’s known sperm donor must pay child support to the bio mom. The man was active in the couple’s life, and the two children he helped conceive called him “Papa,” according to an article in the
