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.
Catch up on some stories I haven’t posted about already! There are moves to make parentage more secure for children of LGBTQ parents in Ireland and Massachusetts; an ongoing custody case; two queer moms who could become federal judges, and more!
Parents with identities across the LGBTQ spectrum won elections this week in state legislatures, city governments, school boards, and more, even in states where you might not expect it!
Marriage equality has helped LGBTQ parents and our children in many ways—but should we have to marry? A decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will now make it much more difficult for both same- and different-sex couples to obtain co-parent (sometimes called second-parent) adoptions unless they are married.
A Pennsylvania court has denied a nonbiological mother parental rights to the child she and her former spouse, the biological mother, had planned and created together. It is the second recent case in the U.S. to do so.
Many queer parents and allies turned out at a Rhode Island House hearing last week to testify in support of two bills that would make it easier for parents of any gender, married or not, to establish legal parentage of a child born through assisted reproduction and to streamline the process of second-parent adoptions.
As a Jew and as a human, I have been saddened and angered today by the awful shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. And I wonder at the unending number of shootings in a country that is supposed to be a beacon of freedom and justice and ask myself: When will we have had enough?
Here’s what’s happening that I haven’t covered in depth elsewhere. Pull up a cup of coffee, tea, or other beverage and read on!
Pennsylvania’s Physician General, Dr. Rachel Levine, will keynote Philadelphia Family Pride’s 6th Annual Family Matters Conference for LGBTQ parented-families on October 17th. There are lots of other fun and informative family events planned for the day, too!
Here’s a roundup of some of the things happening in the world of LGBTQ parenting while I was busy with my own family this past week.
