LGBTQ Parenting Roundup
This roundup looks at further negative impacts of recent executive orders, but also at another lawsuit against them, the introduction of positive legislation in two states, and some celebrity moments of queer joy.
michigan
Addressing the Urgent Need for Parentage Reform to Protect All Children
All children gain security and benefits from legal ties to their parents. Yet children with LGBTQ parents, and those born through assisted reproduction, lack clear and simple ways to establish legal parentage in many states. Two key advocates in Michigan’s successful recent effort to make parentage laws more equitable and inclusive shared advice with me that they hope will help other states do the same.
Michigan Updates Parentage Laws to Better Protect Children of LGBTQ Parents: Which State Will Step Up Next?
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) has signed legislation updating the state’s parentage laws to reflect the many ways families are formed today and equally protect all of the children in them, including those with LGBTQ parents. At least three other states have similar legislation pending—though many others lag behind.
Michigan Legislature Passes Bills to Legalize Surrogacy and to Ensure Children in All Families Have Equitable Access to Parentage Protections
The Michigan legislature yesterday passed the Michigan Family Protection Act, a bill package to decriminalize contractual surrogacy and to ensure that all children born via assisted reproduction—including those with LGBTQ parents—can have equitable access to legal parentage ties from birth, including via a simple acknowledgment of parentage form.
LGBTQ Parenting Roundup
Catch up on some LGBTQ parenting news stories I haven’t covered elsewhere, including legislative moves (positive and negative), profiles of lesbian, gay, and trans parents, and more!
Michigan Supreme Court Affirms Rights of Nongenetic LGBTQ Parents
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Monday that nongenetic LGBTQ parents who were unconstitutionally denied the right to marry may seek custody of children they were raising with former partners.
Michigan Reaffirms Support for LGBTQ Families Even as Legal Settlement Allows Discrimination in Foster Care and Adoption
The state of Michigan must continue contracting with child service agencies that discriminate against same-sex couples, according to the settlement this week of a long-running case whose outcome rested on a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court decision. The state’s Children’s Services Agency nevertheless reaffirmed its commitment to supporting LGBTQ people who want to foster or adopt or are already doing so.
Michigan Appeals Court Recognizes Parental Rights of Same-Sex Parents–and Points the Way Forward
Last week, the Michigan Court of Appeals recognized that both women in an unmarried same-sex couple, one the genetic mother and one the gestational mother, have parental rights. This is a clear victory—but the ruling also indicates what is still needed for even fuller protection of all families, no matter who’s in them or how they are formed.
LGBTQ Parenting Roundup
Let’s end the week with a roundup of a few things I haven’t covered yet—family stories, some political bits, and school-related news!
LGBTQ Parenting Roundup: The Last of 2019
I’ve already highlighted some of 2019’s key news events for LGBTQ parents, but here are a number of other stories from recent weeks to round out and round up the year. Pull up some hot cocoa (or break out the New Year’s bubbly early) and have a read!
