Ask President Biden to Restore LGBTQI Family Protections

Tell Biden to restore LGBTQI protections

Take Action. Ask the President to Restore LGBTQI Protections

In early January 2021, the outgoing Presidential administration changed an important rule of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Previously, the HHS prohibited organizations and agencies that receive federal funding from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. But in their final days, after much lobbying from organizations claiming to speak in favor of religious freedom, the previous administration removed these nondiscrimination measures. This stripping of LGBTQI protections will have serious consequences for our country’s adoption and foster care systems.

Sadly, many religiously-affiliated organizations celebrated this reversal and will take advantage of the rule as license to discriminate against LGBTQI people, couples, and families. Many faith-based nonprofit organizations and agencies contract with federal, state, and local authorities to provide foster care services and match children in need with adoptive parents. Many of these groups have already taken steps to discriminate against LGBTQI couples, refusing to consider their applications to provide foster care or adopt.

LGBTQI couples are more likely to adopt and more likely to adopt across racial lines than straight couples. This HHS rule change narrows the pool of potential foster and adoptive parents and is likely to worsen existing racial inequalities in the foster care system. In sum, this move threatens the wellbeing of children most in need of help.

We’re taking action. When the US Conference of Catholic Bishops applauded the discriminatory rule change, we responded, condemning their reckless disregard for children in need.Check out our letter to the USCCB.

Luckily, the Biden-Harris administration has promised change. During the race, they promised to prioritize LGBTQI inclusion. Already, President Biden has enacted executive orders to expand LGBTQI workplace protections. We must ask the President to use his executive authority to restore protections for LGBTQI people at the Department of Health and Human Services.

We need your help. Add your name to our message to the President. Ask President Biden to use his executive authority to restore protections for LGBTQI people at the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Message to President Biden

Dear President Biden,

I want to call your attention to a rule change made in the final days of the previous Administration. The Department of Health and Human Services had previously safeguarded LGBTQI protections with rules that prohibited organizations receiving federal funding from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The previous administration rolled back these protections in early January.

These regulations ensured adoption and foster care agencies receiving federal funding served all qualified parents including LGBTQI couples. LGBTQI couples are more likely to adopt and to adopt across racial lines than their straight counterparts. Without these safeguards, the pool of adoptive parents is narrowed and the racial inequalities within the foster care system may persist or worsen. This rule change threatens the wellbeing of the children in foster care across our country, as they will have less access to loving, supporting homes.

I ask that you use your presidential powers to undo this dangerous rule change and consider an Executive Order that would bolster these and similar protections for LGBTQI inclusion. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

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