American Bar Association headquarters – Photo: Tony Webster, via Wikimedia.
The American Bar Association has passed a resolution affirming that LGBTQ individuals are entitled to dignity and equal treatment under the law.
Resolution 113, approved by the ABA’s House of Delegates at its midyear meeting in Las Vegas on Monday, marks a significant endorsement by a major legal organization recognizing the “fundamental right” of LGBTQ people to parent and raise children free from discrimination or other form of hindrance by the government.
The resolution also calls on lawmakers in jurisdictions where anti-LGBTQ parenting and adoption laws remain in place to repeal such policies, and encourages Bar associations and attorneys to defend any victims of this type of discrimination.
The National LGBT Bar Association, which had encouraged the ABA to pass the resolution, issued a statement saying it was “delighted and proud that the American Bar Association has recognized the fundamental right of all Americans to parent, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” adding: “We are one step closer to full equality under the law with the passage of Resolution 113.”
According to the Movement Advancement Project, 10 states currently have laws in place that allow child placement agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals or same-sex couples who wish to adopt or serve as foster parents.
Recently, South Carolina applied for and was granted a waiver by the federal government that allows child placement agencies in the state to discriminate against any prospective parents who do not adhere to an individual agency’s set of beliefs.
Media advocacy organization GLAAD also praised the passage of the ABA resolution.
“The American Bar Association not only voiced its support for LGBTQ families, but they just took an important stand that could accelerate acceptance for LGBTQ families everywhere,” Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of GLAAD, said in a statement. “As the Trump administration tries to erase LGBTQ Americans at every turn, the ABA’s resolution stands to change the conversation on how LGBTQ-based policies are litigated in a court room and in state and federal governments.”
A Woburn, Massachusetts couple lost their foster license after refusing to sign a Department of Children and Families (DCF) form requiring them to support gender-affirming care for LGBTQ youth.
Lydia and Heath Marvin, whose license was revoked in April 2025, had fostered eight children under the age of four since 2020. The couple said their religious beliefs prevented them from promising a "safe, affirming, and discrimination-free environment" for LGBTQ children.
"We asked, is there any sort of accommodation, can you waive this at all?" Lydia told CBS Boston. "We simply can't agree to go against our Christian faith in this area."
Justice Department had demanded Boston Children's Hospital hand over patients' and employees' personal information under the guise of combating medical "fraud."
A federal judge has quashed a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice demanding that Boston Children’s Hospital turn over private medical information on youth receiving gender-affirming care, blasting the request as a “fishing expedition” aimed at prosecuting doctors under the guise of investigating health care fraud.
In his ruling, Judge Myong Joun, a Biden appointee, said the Justice Department sought an “astonishingly broad array of documents and information that are virtually unlimited in scope,” including patients’ Social Security numbers, home addresses, and personal details, as well as the complete personnel files of all 2,000 Boston Children’s Hospital employees, regardless of whether they had any involvement in providing gender-affirming care to minors.
A new survey finds that many LGBTQ Americans -- especially transgender and nonbinary people -- have altered their lives in response to a wave of anti-LGBTQ laws and rhetoric sweeping the country, with many reporting serious harm to their mental health and overall wellbeing.
Conducted from May 29 to June 13 by NORC’s AmeriSpeak panel for the Movement Advancement Project, the online survey polled 1,055 LGBTQ adults nationwide, including 111 who identified as transgender or nonbinary.
Operated by NORC at the University of Chicago, AmeriSpeak is a probability-based panel designed to reflect the U.S. household population. Randomly selected households are contacted through mail, email, phone, or in-person interviews.
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