Starting with the 2014-2015 FAFSA, the Department of Education will begin collecting income and other information on a student’s legal parents, regardless of the parents’ sexual orientation or marital status, as long as the parents live together. Students seeking financial aid want to know that the federal government will recognize their families and not treat them differently based on their parents’ sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status. Federal forms that are inclusive of all families are important tools to help LGBT parents ensure their children receive the legal and financial protections they need and the opportunities in life that they deserve.
We are working closely with our coalition partners to submit comprehnsive comments to the Department of Education on the implementation of the new form. Watch our Know Your Rights page for more information on how to fill out the new form. And see our page on Education advocacy to read what else we’ve been doing to ensure that all children, including children with parents who are LGBT, can access an equal education.
We thank the Department of Education for working with us and our coalition partners – including the Center for American Progress, the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals, and the National Center for Transgender Equality – on these important changes.