Report Details Inequities for Kids of Gay Parents

[w8liftinglady]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/report-details-inequities-kids-gay-parents-14807091

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Among the barriers and inequities they face, as detailed in the report:

—Many government safety net programs use definitions of family tied to marital status which may exclude same-sex partners.

—Because of lack of legal recognition for their unions, gay and lesbian parents can face heavier tax burdens, higher costs for health insurance, and diminished financial protections in the event of death or disability.

—When same-sex parents separate, one parent may lose custody or visitation rights, even in cases where he or she had been a child's primary caregiver.

Overshadowing all these problems is pervasive social stigma, according to the report.

"Many of the challenges LGBT families face stem from a society that assumes that everyone is heterosexual and comes from a family with two married heterosexual parents," it says.