Beyond Straight and Gay Marriage: Valuing All Families Under the Law

LGBTQ family law scholar Nancy D. Polikoff here argues that we should take the focus off marriage (without abandoning the fight for marriage equality as an option for those who choose it), and instead adopt a “valuing-all-families” approach in which the law supports “the diverse families and relationships in which children and adults flourish.” This will benefit not only LGBTQ families, but also unmarried couples of any type, single-parent households, extended biological family units, and other familial configurations.