annual report | 2010 Our Mission Family Equality Council works to ensure equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) families by building community, changing hearts and minds, and advancing social justice for all families. We are America’s foremost advocate for LGBT family equality, representing the one million LGBT parents raising two million children in the United States and working to ensure their full social and legal equality. Family Equality Council works to achieve that goal by building community through national events and regional programs; providing direct support to LGBT families and prospective parents; educating the American public on issues and securing inclusion Family Equality Council PO Box 206 in legislation, policies, and practices impacting families. Boston, MA 02133 617.502.8700 [email protected] www.familyequality.org 2 FAMILY EQUALITY COUNCIL | 2010 annual report Staff Board of Directors Jennifer Chrisler Alex Habib (Chair) Executive Director Boston, MA Emily Hecht-McGowan Alan Bernstein (Vice-Chair) Director of Public Policy West Hollywood, CA Bill Lorenz Director of Finance & Administration Bryan Carr (Treasurer) Dallas, TX Steve Majors Director of Communications Tim Meyer (Secretary) Jen Meyers-Light Minneapolis, MN Director of Advancement Kim Bergman Brent Wright Culver City, CA Director of Programs Casey Bloys Sean Carlson Los Angeles, CA New Media Associate Anthony Chiafullo Heron Greenesmith Legislative Counsel New York, NY Riane Herlihy Mark Corpron Development Assistant New York, NY Lis Hulin Scott Hines Database Administrator Rancho Mirage, CA Elaine Lee Rob Keeling Events Associate Mechanicsville, VA Jack Nguyen Information Technology Associate Nancy Lyons Minneapolis, MN Andra Oshinsky Program Events Associate Ann Kaner-Roth Mel Rexroad Minneapolis, MN Midwest Region Senior Manager Nick G. Scandalios Daniel Robinson New York, NY Annual Fund Manager Brian Sheerin Becky Sniderman Bedford Corners, NY Executive Assistant David Spector Emeritus Board Encino, CA Allison Bauer Tommy Starling Kenneth Blakeley Pawleys Island, SC Amity Pierce Buxton Sonny Ward Chris Caldwell Los Angeles, CA Gregg Cartagine Scott Davenport Midwest Advisory Council Will Halm Jennifer Williams, Chair Joyce Kauffman Melissa Curran-Moore John Nicoli Monica Devers David H. Wall Chriss Joyce Damon Wolf Ann Kaner-Roth Bill Zachs Kris Maul Heather McCarl Kevin Miller 2010 annual report Janice| FAMILY Vassar EQUALITY COUNCIL 3 Dear Friends, What a year we’ve had! or adoption agency that receives federal funds from denying or delaying adoption or foster care placements In 2010, the federal government took historic based on the prospective parent’s marital status, sexual steps in recognizing our families. The U.S. orientation, or gender identity. Department of Labor clarified that the Family Even as we’ve engaged in this federal work, Medical Leave Act explicitly covers both same- solidifying Family Equality Council’s role as the sex parents raising a family together — even if leading national advocate for LGBT families, we one of those parents is not legally recognized also remained focused in 2010 on important under a state law. Passport applications for work at the state level. We partnered with local children, and consular reports of births abroad, organizations in Mississippi to help defeat anti-LGBT now recognize our families with lines for “parent parenting bans. We partnered with the American Civil 1” and “parent 2.” And Congress held its first-ever Liberties Union of Florida and GLAAD to launch a media full briefing featuring LGBT parents and families and public education campaign that resulted in a state and discussing the impact of unfair state laws and appeals court ruling that Florida’s ban on adoptions by practices in adoption and foster placement. LGBT parents is unconstitutional. We partnered with OutFront Minnesota to support a safe schools bill with None of these changes would have occurred explicit protections for LGBT students and children of without Family Equality Council and our LGBT parents, and we mobilized Minnesota families leadership. Through targeted advocacy, as well as to successfully lobby U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar to innovative policy recommendations, we partnered support the Student Non-Discrimination Act, which with the U.S. Department of State for the changes would prohibit elementary and secondary schools from in passport applications and reports of births of discriminating against students based on their sexual U.S. citizens that occur abroad. And we worked with orientation, gender identity, or who their parents are. the U.S. Department of Labor for the protections We mobilized hundreds of families in New Jersey, New afforded by the Family Medical Leave Act for parents York, Maryland, and Minnesota to lobby their lawmakers in same-sex relationships. We also worked closely in support of marriage equality. with U.S. Congressman Pete Stark of California on the Congressional briefing in support of the Every Child This year we began the process of creating a Deserves a Family Act, which would prohibit any state Transgender Parent Advisory Council, which will 4 FAMILY EQUALITY COUNCIL | 2010 annual report FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD CHAIR Our commitment to advancing equality for our families is making a powerful impact on the LGBT rights movement and pushing it forward into every arena of American family life. guide Family Equality Council’s policy initiatives for transgender parents. We launched the second phase of our Diversity & Inclusion Initiative to better document the needs of diverse LGBT parents and families. strengthened because more of our parents now have In 2010, we enjoyed seeing so many of you at our access to federal programs—regardless of their legal signature events: Family Week in Provincetown, the relationship to their children. Our commitment to Rainbow Families Conference in Minnesota, Families in advancing equality for our families is making a the Desert in California, and Family Camp in Minnesota. powerful impact on the LGBT rights movement— Our community events brought together more than and pushing it forward into every arena of 1,400 families in 2010. American family life. Family Equality Council is proud to lead the charge in As always, though, we could not do this work without pushing for the political, cultural and social changes you. We are incredibly grateful for your support, which needed to nurture LGBT parents and their children. is critical to our success. Our work is needed now more than ever. There are one million LGBT parents raising two million Sincerely, children in this country. Thanks to our work, more children are being placed in their forever homes. Thanks to our work, the security Jennifer Chrisler Alex Habib and well-being of countless LGBT families has been Executive Director Chair, Board of Directors 2010 annual report | FAMILY EQUALITY COUNCIL 5 Brought over 400 people together for the Annual Rainbow Families Conference in Minnesota Worked as a member of the Minnesota Safe Schools 4 All Coalition Worked to keep schools safe as part of the Rapid Response Brought together over 200 network in California LGBT parents and their children at Family Camp Weekend in Minnesota Fought against an amendment banning same-sex marriage in Iowa Worked on adoption and safe schools initiatives in Missouri Brought together over 200 LGBT parents and their children at Families in the Desert in California Engaged in public education to fight against anti-LGBT parenting legislation in Arizona 6 FAMILY EQUALITY COUNCIL | 2010 annual report In 2010, we... Mobilized 200 families Drafted and passed in Minnesota to lobby safe schools legislation Senator Amy Klobuchar in Massachusetts to support the Uniting American Families Act Provided technical assistance Brought together and LGBT expertise to a over 1000 LGBT coalition of local paid sick day parents and advocates in New York their children at Family Week in Provincetown Activated 400 families in New Participated in a phone Jersey to support campaign, conducted lobby marriage equality visits and attended rallies in favor of marriage equality in Maryland Visited more than 150 Congressional offices Expanded our D.C. office to advance our federal policy agenda Provided technical Engaged our families to assistance to equality build support for inclusive groups in seven states adoption policies in Virginia Successfully defeated anti- Provided technical LGBT parenting legislation assistance to the in Tennessee U.S. Department of Education for the 2010 Anti-Bullying Summit Worked to overturn Florida’s adoption ban on LGBT parents Provided technical assistance on a draft non-discrimination order in Florida 2010 annual report | FAMILY EQUALITY COUNCIL 7 Paving THE WAY FOR OTHERS The Meftah–Banuelos Family Of all the things to have to worry about when you go into labor at 32 weeks, concern that your spouse’s employer will keep your spouse from being at your side should not be one of them. Yet that’s what Naz Meftah faced when she learned that she was five-and-a-half centimeters dilated during a routine check-up, and that she would be delivering her twins I got involved eight weeks early. with the hope “Thank God the babies were born on Good Friday that the next and that she was actually able to be there at the person down birth,” Meftah says of her wife Lydia Banuelos. the line Naz and Lydia were living in Tuscon, Arizona when Naz went into premature labor. The couple had wouldn’t have already established a domestic partnership in the to go through state of California and thought that the rights they what we went enjoyed in California extended to Arizona. “I’m a little embarrassed to admit that we had no through. clue. But we had no clue,” says Naz. The twins stayed in a neonatal intensive care unit for nearly four weeks before they could come home. Lydia’s employer would not let her take time off after their birth because they did not recognize her as a parent to the infants.