“A broad coalition of child welfare, LGBTQ, and faith organizations will continue to remain vigilant to ensure this discriminatory measure is not included in any final bill that makes it to the President’s desk.” — July 25, 2018 — For Immediate Release WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today Family Equality Council joins with members of the Every Child Deserves a Family Campaign in thanking a group of forty Senators who signed a letter opposing an amendment included in the House Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill that would allow taxpayer-funded…

“These are extremely perilous times for our families and our right to equal treatment under the law.” — In the short time since President Trump announced Brett Kavanaugh as his choice to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by retiring Justice Kennedy, much has been written about Judge Kavanaugh and his conservative positions on a variety of issues. If you want to know about his position on a…

“We have a crisis in our foster care system today caused by a shortage of adoptive and foster parents, and this amendment will simply make that crisis worse.” — July 11, 2018 — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEW YORK — Today members of the House Appropriations Committee approved an anti-LGBTQ amendment to an existing bill providing funding for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The amendment, approved by a 29–23 vote, was offered by Representative Robert…

Justice Kennedy’s retirement is cause for great concern. There is a tremendous amount at stake, and it is going to take ALL of our efforts to #SaveSCOTUS. — For many of us, Justice Kennedy’s announcement that he is retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court felt a lot like the day after the 2016 Presidential election — shocking, frustrating, and fraught with fear of things to come. It left many LGBTQ people wondering: what does this mean for my…

“The South Carolina legislature snuck the discriminatory provision into a 500+ page budget bill without any debate or consideration of the impact such discrimination could have on the state’s child welfare system.” — July 9, 2018 — For Immediate Release NEW YORK — On Friday, July 6, 2018, South Carolina became the ninth state to allow taxpayer-funded child placing agencies to turn away prospective foster and adoptive families who do not meet an agency’s religious litmus test. Since mid-May, Oklahoma, Kansas, and South…

“At this critical moment in our nation’s history it is vital that the next Supreme Court justice is an independent and fair-minded person without political or ideological motivations — someone who will uphold the protections and values enshrined in our Constitution — for everyone.” — July 9, 2018 — For Immediate Release NEW YORK — This evening the Trump administration nominated Brett Kavanaugh to fill the seat on the U.S. Supreme Court soon to be left vacant when Justice Anthony Kennedy retires at the end of this month. Drawn from a shortlist of ultra-conservative candidates…

“We should not have to fear whether or not our families could be separated, or whether we will have the full protection of the law.” — Kristie and I met ten years ago and knew right away that we wanted to become parents. Though it took us a few years, we were blessed in 2013 to welcome our daughter Olivia. We were married legally at the time in our home state as well as the neighboring…

“Waiving the requirement to comply with federal nondiscrimination rules would … further demonstrate that the Trump administration values a narrow set of religious beliefs over the need to find loving, stable homes for vulnerable youth currently in state care.” — June 15, 2018 — For Immediate Release NEW YORK — A news report published today confirms that the Governor of South Carolina has personally appealed to the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), requesting a waiver from federal nondiscrimination requirements that would allow South Carolina adoption and…

The magic of Family Week would not possible without these nine people. — Each year, we welcome a fabulous group of interns to the Family Week planning team, where they take on all kinds of tasks, from securing sponsors to hanging out with kiddos on the beach. This year’s interns come from a broad range of backgrounds and interests, and we know they…