FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2015
FAMILY EQUALITY COUNCIL STATEMENT ON NEBRASKA’S DECISION TO ABANDON A POLICY BARRING LGBTQ ADULTS FROM BECOMING FOSTER PARENTS
ADVOCACY GROUP CALLS ON NEBRASKA STATE OFFICIALS TO FULLY RESCIND DISCRIMINATORY STATE POLICY
The Family Equality Council heralds Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts following his administration’s decision to step away from a 20-year-old policy that barred “persons who identify themselves as homosexuals” from becoming foster parents. “Nothing is more important than the best interests of the child,” Ricketts’ spokesperson told the Omaha World-Herald. The Family Equality Council now challenges Nebraska policymakers to take the ban off the books entirely, and to pass legislation that affirmatively protects lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer adults seeking to serve as adoptive or foster parents.
Statement from Family Equality Council Legislative Counsel Michael Porcello:
“The Nebraska governor announced that the state’s Department of Health and Human Services will no longer consider the sexual orientation of those seeking to foster or adopt youth in care in Nebraska. The decision is a great step forward — and means more foster children in Nebraska will find loving homes. But the 1995 policy still remains the official practice in the state. Nebraska government officials, who have launched a review of the policy, need to completely remove the directive and put protections in place to ban discrimination against LGBTQ prospective parents.”
For TV, newspaper and web interviews with Family Equality Council Executive Director Gabriel Blau or Legislative Counsel Michael Porcello, contact Bradley Jacobs at (917) 324-8771 or bjacobs@familyequality.com.
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About Family Equality Council®: Family Equality Council® connects, supports, and represents the three million parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer in this country today and their six million children of all ages. We are changing attitudes and policies to ensure that all families are respected, loved, and celebrated—including families with parents who are LGBTQ. We are a community of parents, children, grandparents, and grandchildren that reaches across this country. For over 30 years we have raised our children and raised our voices toward fairness for all families.
Contact:Bradley Jacobs
917-324-8771
bjacobs@familyequality.com