Family Equality Council Blog

Adoption Bill Aims to Protect LGBT Parents, Kids

Family Equality Council — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:24:19 +0000

Chris Johnson, DC Agenda | Mar 12, 2010 | Comments A tearful moment interrupted a congressional panel discussion on LGBT adoption Thursday when a gay foster parent described how state officials in Florida were threatening to take away his two children. Martin Gill of Miami and his partner are seeking to adopt two young brothers — referred to John [...]

Congressional Briefing: The Every Child Deserves a Family Act

Family Equality Council — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:49:54 +0000

Yesterday Congressman Pete Stark (CA) re-introduced the Every Child Deserves a Family Act (H.R. 4608), a federal bill that increases the number of qualified individuals eligible to become adoptive or foster parents by restricting federal funding for states employing discriminatory practices in adoption and foster care placements based on sexual orientation, gender identity or marital [...]

Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA) re-introduces the Every Child Deserves a Family Act

Family Equality Council — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:50:03 +0000

Rep Pete Stark (D-CA) is hosting a panel discussion on the “Every Child Deserves a Family Act.” Panelists will include foster children who will discuss their experiences in the foster care system, parents who have been prevented from adopting their foster children because of state laws prohibiting gays, lesbians and bisexuals from adopting, and experts on [...]

Census Takers Begin Hand Delivering 2010 Census Questionnaires to 12 Million U.S. Households

Family Equality Council — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:12:53 +0000

About 56,000 census workers began on March 2, 2010 hand delivering 2010 Census questionnaires to roughly 12 million addresses across the nation, mostly in rural areas where people do not receive mail at the same location as their residence. Most of nation’s 120 million households, about 90 percent of the U.S. population, should look for [...]

Adoption anti-discrimination bill gets reboot

Family Equality Council — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:19:51 +0000

Chris Johnson, DC Agenda An adoption anti-discrimination bill previously introduced in the U.S. House is set to get a new start this week when the bill’s sponsor reintroduces it with modified language. Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), the sponsor of the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, is planning to reintroduce the bill — which would prohibit discrimination against [...]

Washington, DC Legalizes Marriage Equality

Family Equality Council — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:09:53 +0000

By: Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director, Family Equality Council On Wednesday, Washington, DC joined Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont as the sixth jurisdiction with full marriage equality. The City Council passed the bill with overwhelming support last fall, and it was signed by Mayor Fenton in December 2009. Following the 90-day mandatory congressional review [...]

Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA) Announces Congressional Briefing on “Every Child Deserves a Family Act”

Family Equality Council — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:39:35 +0000

For folks who are in DC, we hope you’ll attend the briefing. For folks elsewhere, the briefing will be streamed live over the internet. Information on the live streaming will be available on www.stark.house.gov. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 2, 2010 Contact: Family Equality Council: Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director, 202-276-4311 Leigh Whiting-Jones, 617-502-8700 ext. 234 [...]

April 1 is National Census Day and it’s not an April Fool’s Joke – the Census will be counting LGBT families.

Kara — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:49:47 +0000

By Gary J. Gates, Williams Distinguished Scholar, Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law LGBT families need to be visible and counted in the 2010 Census. Census data gives a snapshot of the LGBT community and informs many of the public and private policies that impact the lives of LGBT individuals and their families. The Census is [...]

The Impact of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” on Families

Family Equality Council — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:27:16 +0000

Every day, the men and women of the United States Armed Forces make countless sacrifices in service to our nation. These sacrifices are magnified for the 65,000 LGBT service members and their families by the federal law known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which prohibits LGBT service members from serving openly.LGBT parents face [...]

New Research Reinforces 25 Years of Findings That LGBT People Make Good Parents

Family Equality Council — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:53:58 +0000

Prominent parenting scholars Judith Stacey and Timothy Biblarz have released a new study comparing two-parent, same-gender headed families with two-parent, different-gender headed families. Their study, which challenges the presumed superiority of mom-dad partnerships in raising kids, appears in the February 2010 issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family. Stacey and [...]