A new report released Tuesday suggests there may be as many as two million children being raising by gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered parents—often without the legal rights granted to traditional heterosexual families.
“There are myriad ways that our families are discounted by government at all levels, and children are hurt the most,” Jennifer Chrisler of the Family Equality Council, one of the three groups authoring “All Children Matter: How Legal and Social Inequalities Hurt LGBT Families,” told the AP’s David Crary. The FEC co-produced the report with The Center for American Progress and the Movement Advancement Project.
Among the report’s findings:
*LGBT parents face a heavier tax burden and higher health-insurance costs.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
*Many government programs aimed at families are tied to marital status, which may exclude same-sex partners.
*When a LGBT couple divorces or separates, a nonbiological or non-adoptive parent may lose custody or visitation rights.
There is also the notable social stigma children of gay and lesbian families encounter. “Many of the challenges LGBT families face stem from a society that assumes that everyone is heterosexual and comes from a family with two married heterosexual parents,” reads the report, which also details numerous ways legal burdens can be alleviated.
Lisa Polyak, chair of the statewide gay-rights group Equality Maryland and a parent herself, says this isn’t a partisan issue. “If you care about children, you should care that the parents don’t have the legal tools to take the best care of them.”
Michael
Yeah I know its pathetic how the bigots continue to think we affect their marriages when the reality of the situation has ALWAYS been that they are the ones affecting OURS.
I guess when they refer to protect the family the hypocrites as USUAL are only referring to heterosexual families not GAY families.Gee what a SHOCKER!
Jim Hlavac
You think they would thank gay couples for taking up the extra babies produced by wanton heteros. And you think they would be happy those kids weren’t aborted, but safe with us. But alas, they are not happy. And they have the audacity to blame gay folks for the carange of the hetero lifestyle.
the crustybastard
FTFA: “When a LGBT couple divorces or separates, a nonbiological or non-adoptive parent may lose custody or visitation rights.”
MAY lose custody or visitation rights?
Gay nonbiological parents don’t have any rights to begin with. This disability is commonly leveraged by angry biological parents during and after a breakup.
Also, in the few jurisdictions that do allow second-parent adoptions, typically the biological parent must consent to the adoption. It is not uncommon for bio parents to refuse to allow their partners equal legal footing.
Straight people who rear their partner’s children are frequently successful in petitioning courts to recognize a de facto parent-child bond even in the absence of a biological relationship. They can secure custody and/or visitation rights on this basis. However, gay people doing the same thing and making the same argument are rarely successful.
This is an outrageously fucked up area of the law that pointlessly punishes children and destroys relationships.
Maggie Gallagher probably masturbates to the idea.
Robin
In the UK, there is a desperately sad ratio of children who remain unadopted, compared to the people refused adoption rights. I am now wondering what proportion of such are gay people. My own completely un-asked for opinion is this: what children need above all else are two things; love and security. It is, to say the least, long overdue that an overhaul of attitudes towards the range of people who want to adopt children is required. A child does not think ‘ well, I cannot be adopted by you because you are this or that’. Children need and respond to love. It strikes me that gay people do not come to such a major decision as adoption lightly, especially in the face of so much prejudice out there that has to be dealt with. The sooner attitudes change, the better it will be for children. I know two gay couples who adopted children and they are superb parents; the children concerned have gained everything from this. Society – wake up!
BlondeBomber
Thank you for this interesting lens on a very controversial subject matter. @Robin, yes children need love ad security first and foremost. How can anyone even begin the question that these two needs could NOT be met by gay parents? It’s absurd that people actually believe gay individuals to be unworthy of proper parenting. I am so happy that gay marriage is slowly becoming accepted. It is one of the 100 Things I am Thankful For , but we still have a way to go. 🙂
Eli Clyne
According to Family Equality Council
“Approximately 9 million LGBT adults are raising 2.1-2.7 million children.”
The numbers don’t make sense. There are 600 thousand same sex couples in the US. 14% of male same sex couples and 27% of female same sex couples have kids. The census collects information on same sex couples with or without kid. It doesn’t collect information on single lgbt with kids. I think someone has taken the percentage of same sex couples with kids and applied to all lgbt people, 9 million.
SureWhatever
@the crustybastard: You clearly don’t live or practice law in CA.