December 5, 2016
NEW YORK, NY and AUSTIN, TX — Today Family Equality Council and Equality Texas are pleased to release a new resource guide for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) families titled Texas LGBTQ Family Law. This report provides LGBTQ-headed families in Texas with detailed and accessible explanations of the current status of federal and state law as it pertains to their families, including recognition of same-sex marriages, parental rights, adoption, applying for documentation for children, nondiscrimination protections, school policies, healthcare, parental leave, and more. The guide also includes a list of legal documents it is recommended that all same-sex couples secure in order to ensure their rights and wishes are respected.
“Due to the uneven nature of legal protections for LGBTQ families from state to state, understanding the legal steps families should take can be challenging,” says Denise Brogan-Kator, Director of State Policy for Family Equality Council. “We hope that this resource will help families across Texas better protect their families, particularly given the newly uncertain political landscape we are now facing.”
Following the election last month, both Family Equality Council and Equality Texas recommitted to defending LGBTQ families from discriminatory legislation, and to public education that accurately portrays LGBTQ families and reduces homophobia and transphobia. The opening of the pre-filing period for the upcoming Texas Legislative session has already demonstrated the hostile political environment faced by LGBTQ Texans, with bills that put LGBTQ students in danger (S.B. 242), and that would overturn local nondiscrimination protections (S.B. 92).
“Equality Texas is working hard to educate Texans on the harms of discrimination because the laws of Texas do not automatically protect all of our rights and families. That is why it was important for us to work with the Family Equality Council which addresses ways to protect ourselves and our LGBTQ-headed families. We hope this Resource Guide will prove useful to families across our state,” says Chuck Smith, CEO of Equality Texas.
Family Equality Council and Equality Texas will continue to work tirelessly to support LGBTQ families and to educate elected officials.
Access the guide in pdf format here: https://dev-fec.pantheonsite.io/texas-family-law-guide
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, grandchildren and unattached youth that reaches across this country. For almost forty years we have raised our children and raised our voices toward fairness for all families. As we look to the next chapter of our work, we are also focused on LGBTQ youth needing families and the two million LGBTQ adults waiting to foster or adopt in our country.
About Equality Texas
Equality Texas is the largest statewide organization working solely to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Texans through political action, education, community organizing, and collaboration. The Equality Texas Foundation works to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Texans through education, community organizing, and collaboration.