Advancing equality for LGBTQ+ families since 1979.
For 45 years, Family Equality has worked to advance equality for current and future LGBTQ+ families. At the federal, state, and local levels, we drive policy change in pursuit of a future where everyone can live in communities and access services that recognize, support, and value them.
Policy priorities
At the federal, state, and even local levels, we drive policy change in pursuit of a future where everyone can live in communities and access services that recognize, support, and value them. This work focuses primarily on three major areas: child welfare, family formation and protection, and schools.
Every youth and family should have access to safe and supportive child welfare services.
Discrimination in the child welfare system is significant and far-reaching. It impacts the hundreds of thousands of children in foster care, families of origin, and prospective foster and adoptive parents — especially those who are LGBTQ+ or belong to other marginalized identities.
Family Equality works closely with youth and families who have lived experience in foster care, social workers, and policymakers to promote the best interests of children in the foster care and adoption system.
Everyone should be able to create and expand a family.
There are countless ways to make a family, including adoption, foster care, assisted reproduction, blending, step-parenthood, law, marriage, friendship, and choice. Regardless of your journey, you deserve the freedom to find, form, and sustain your family in whatever way feels right for you, and Family Equality works to protect this right by championing legislation that safeguards access to assisted reproduction, marriage equality, legal parent-child relationships, and more.
Every child should have access to a free, safe, and inclusive education that embraces diverse families.
Every student deserves to feel seen, heard, and valued no matter what their family looks like. Yet, 1 in 4 students with LGBTQ+ parents report mistreatment in the classroom even before states and school boards began passing legislation that bans LGBTQ+ topics from the classroom and prohibits LGBTQ+ youth from participating in sports. In addition to opposing policies that erase LGBTQ+ individuals and their contributions from school, we advocate at every level of the government for policies that promote inclusion and protect against bullying and discrimination.
Expanding our work with the Family Equity and Justice Project
Family Equality is eager to expand our efforts by incorporating the experiences, challenges, stories, and joys of diverse LGBTQ+ families into our work and the work of the movement for LGBTQ+ equality more broadly. Our Family Equity and Justice Project involves conducting research and conversations with diverse LGBTQ+ families, especially BIPOC families, about what matters to them and their experiences with family formation, school, healthcare, and more.
The Progress we’ve made
Join the movement
Everyone has a role to play in this work — including you! Whether you’re sharing your story with a local politician, checking your voter registration, or offering financial support, your contribution can turn the tide for LGBTQ+ family equality.
