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.”
"I love that you think I have more than one home," laughs Wilson Cruz, settling in at his New York apartment for what will ultimately become a wide-ranging, two-hour Zoom interview. "I am a journeyman actor who has been cobbling together a career for 30 years. That's what I am."
Truth is, Wilson Cruz is much more than that. This is the third time Cruz has been featured on a Metro Weekly cover, and he ensures that a conversation with him feels familiar, like time spent with a best friend. Talking with him is also somewhat of a unique event -- spirited, unbridled, utterly free of artifice. He is warm. He is welcoming. He is wise.
On Monday, the Vatican declared that gender-affirming care and surrogacy are among several ills that constitute grave violations of human dignity.
The declaration puts them on par with abortion and euthanasia, classifying them as practices that reject God's plan for human life.
"Infinite Dignity," a 20-page declaration crafted over five years and approved by Pope Francis in March, was released by the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the department in charge of religious discipline for the Catholic Church.
The document calls for unconditional respect for human dignity, regardless of "the person's ability to understand and act freely," reiterating Catholic Church teaching that "offenses against life itself, such as murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, and willful suicide" are contrary to human dignity.
Instagram censored an image of two real-life husbands with their newborn as "sensitive" and "graphic" content.
The image was eventually restored.
Men Having Babies, a nonprofit that assists gay men in building families by pursuing surrogacy options, posted the image to promote an educational conference in Berlin in April.
But soon after the picture was posted, Instagram censored it with a black message screen that forced users to click to view the image.
"Sensitive Content," the message screen read. "This photo may contain graphic or violent content... images that some people might find upsetting."
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