Family Equality Council got the feds to use gender-neutral language on passport applications!

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Dear Supporter,

Our stories are powerful!

We have collected thousands of stories about the way discrimination and inequality impacts you and your families. Time and time again, you told us that applying for passports for our children was one of the most difficult and stress-provoking experiences of being an LGBT parent. In response to these stories and because of Family Equality Council’s tireless advocacy on behalf of our families, the U.S. Department of State has announced new, gender-neutral passport and Consular Report of Birth Abroad forms. The new forms will use the title of “parent” as opposed to “mother” and “father”.

I remember early in my tenure as Executive Director at Family Equality Council I heard the story of one of our parents, living in a rural area, who had gone to apply for a passport for their child. She and her partner went to the post office, adoption papers in hand, only to be confronted by a passport application that said “mother” and “father”. They didn’t know what to do, they didn’t want to lie, they were angry that our own government made them feel second class and they were afraid to ask the clerk for clarification, fearing discrimination or harassment.

That is why changing the US passport application to more accurately reflect the diversity of America’s families has been a top priority of Family Equality Council. Together we made that change happen.

This work is part of Family Equality Council’s larger effort to ensure that government programs and services are available and accessible to the one million LGBT families raising two million children in the United State. We will change more forms, we will open access to more programs and services and we will continue to be your voice, advocating for our families, with the President, with Congress, with America – ultimately securing equality for ALL families.

Thank you for what you do to support family equality. I am truly grateful.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Chrisler
Executive Director
Family Equality Council

http://www.familyequality.org

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1. K&R and I love that they're taking the word "family" back from the homophobes.