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ePaper created 2015-02-22, 17:33:25 | version 1.33.01
66 UrbanSocialites would like to congratulate my friend Kafara Heard in here new leadership role with Family Equality Council as a new member of the Southern Advisory Council effecting change is it relates to LGBTQ equality. USAmbassadorWhatisthe missionofFamilyEquality Councilandthereasonyou decidedtobecomeinvolved? Family Equality Council is committed to the futures in which families with parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual; transgender and queer are legally recognized, valued by society, and afforded equal opportunity to thrive.We foster supportive communities educate the public and pursue policy change to advance equality for LGBTQ headed families across the United States. As a lesbian parent, it is important to me that other LGBTQ parents have communities of support and are aware of policies at both the state and federal level that affect our families. USAmbassadorWhatare somechallengesparents andfutureparentarefacing asitrelatestobeingLGBT? We can break these challenges into two categories: legal and lived equality. Legal challenges include matters such as relationship recognition and securing the parent child relationship. If two parents are not married or if they are married and not living in a state that recognizes their marriage, the families are vulnerable. Without a legal adoption in place, children are unable to access the range of services available to them from one parent. These families are also vulnerable to discrimination for day to day matters like, making health related decisions or registering the child for school. The simple notion of needing to travel around with paperwork, even if an adoption is in place and you are married, is challenging because if you visit a state where your union isn’t recognized, you may encounter people that still give you a hard time. That takes me into the lived equality part. As it relates to lived equality, matters that people don’t think about like a school form asking for mother/father or being turned away from a restaurant or business because of who you love or what someone assumes about your sexual orientation or gender identity are challenges. Can you imagine your child being sick and having a hospital representative prevent you from seeing your child, or allowing only one parent to see the child? Legal equality can be fought for through the legislative process, but lived equality is one of those things that take time. Even if legislation passes and people are forced to comply with law, the civil rights movement shows us that lived equality doesn’t just happen. KAFARA HEARD HER NEW ROLEBY ADAH PITTMAN-DELANCEY URBANSOCIALITES.COM