Family Equality (formerly Family Pride and Family Equality Council) is a national American nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance legal and lived equality for

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

and

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

(

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

) families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change.

History

In 1979 a group of gay fathers formed the group that would eventually become Family Equality Council. Originally called the Gay Fathers Coalition, in 1986 this fathers’ group expanded to include lesbian mothers, prompting a name change to the Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International (GLPCI), a chapter-based organization. In 1998, GLPCI changed its name to the Family Pride Coalition in order to include bisexual and transgender parents. In 2007, in order to better capture the full breadth and scope of their mission, Family Pride changed its name to the Family Equality Council. In 2006, Family Equality Council collaborated with the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

on a two-day symposium for professionals who work with households headed by same-sex couples and their advocates. The symposium led to the creation of an online databank of resources for same-sex couples with children. Family Equality Council launched an initiative called "The Outspoken Generation" in April 2012, with young adult children of LGBT parents as its spokespersons. The co-chairs were

Zach Wahls Zacharia Wahls (born July 15, 1991) is an Iowa state senator, and American LGBTQ+ activist and author. Early years Zach Wahls is the son of two lesbian women and was conceived using artificial insemination. He was born on July 15, 1991 to his b ...

, the son of a lesbian couple who came to public attention after his testimony before an Iowa legislative hearing went viral on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, and Ella Robinson, the daughter of New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop

Gene Robinson Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is a former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he served as Canon to th ...

Outspoken Voices Podcast

The Outspoken Voices Podcast is produced by Family Equality and hosted by Emily McGranachan with co-host Dakota Fine. This podcast is "by and for LGBTQ+ parents, people with LGBTQ+ parents, grandparents and everyone else who is part of our family journeys." Outspoken Voices aired their first episode on January 10, 2017 and continues to release new episodes monthly. The hosts discusses numerous important topics with guests to create episodes that are specifically catered for LGBTQ+ families and LGBTQ+ individuals that plan to have families.Lott, Emily (2020-09-30). "7 Best LGBTQ Family & Fertility Podcasts You Should be Listening To". '' Gay Parents to Be''.

References

Sources

Philip Gambone Philip Gambone (born July 21, 1948) is an American writer who has published both fiction and non-fiction. Biography Philip Gambone was born in Wakefield, Massachusetts, on July 21, 1948. He earned a BA from Harvard College and an MA from the Epi ...

, ''Travels in a Gay Nation: Portraits of LGBTQ Americans'' (Madison, University of Wisconsin Press, 2010),

External links

Family Equality Council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Family Equality Community-building organizations LGBT political advocacy groups in the United States LGBT rights in Massachusetts LGBT family and peer support groups