immigration

Photo credit: Zaccari-Blixt family / Immigration Equality

State Department Ends Policy that Denied Citizenship to Children of Married Same-Sex Parents

In a significant victory for equality this week, the U.S. State Department has ended a policy that had denied birthright citizenship to children born abroad to married same-sex parents born abroad if the U.S. citizen parent was not biologically related. This also ends years of uncertainty for at least one two-mom couple who have been fighting for their child’s citizenship.

Dvash-Banks Family

Appeals Court Upholds U.S. Citizenship of Child Born Abroad to Married Gay Dads

A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit last Friday unanimously upheld a lower court ruling recognizing the birthright citizenship of a boy born abroad by surrogacy to two married gay dads, one of whom is a U.S. citizen. The Trump Administration’s State Department had refused to recognize the dads’ marriage and tried to deny the boy’s citizenship—even though it recognized his twin brother as a citizen.

LGBTQ Parenting Roundup

LGBTQ Parenting Roundup: Entertainment Edition

Even in the middle of summer, things are happening! This week’s roundup is heavily (but not exclusively) about entertainment news—lighter fare, perhaps, but also touching on the important topic of representation.

Roee and Adiel Kiviti. Photo courtesy of Lambda Legal

State Dept. Says Baby of Same-Sex, U.S. Citizen Parents Is Not a Citizen

A fourth married, same-sex couple is suing the U.S. State Department for refusing to recognize the U.S. citizenship of their child—in this case, despite the fact that both parents are U.S. citizens. The department is treating the child as “born out of wedlock.”

Ghost's Journey

New Picture Book Tells Story of Two Gay Refugees–and Their Cat

In some parts of the world, being LGBTQ can mean being jailed or worse. That’s a weighty topic, but in a new children’s book, we learn of the struggles and resilience of a same-sex couple who fled Indonesia for fear of persecution. The secret to telling the tale in a compelling, age-appropriate manner? Their cat. Here’s a sneak peek.

Dvash-Banks Family

State Department Wants to Take U.S. Citizenship from One Two-Year-Old Twin with Two Dads

The U.S. State Department seems to be having a contest with the Department of Health and Human Services over which can be more awful to the LGBTQ community. A February federal court decision had ruled that the two-year-old son of two married men, one a U.S. citizen and one an Israeli citizen, must be recognized as a U.S. citizen like his twin brother. The State Department now wants to overturn that ruling.

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