The voices of children of gay parents
are highlighted in an amicus brief filed in two U.S. Supreme
Court cases related to gay marriage.
The Family Equality Council, which
claims to represent 3 million LGBT parents and six million children
and adults with LGBT parents, filed the briefs in the cases United
States v. Windsor, which challenges the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA), and Hollingsworth v. Perry, which challenges
Proposition 8, California's constitutional amendment limiting
marriage to heterosexual unions.
“The voices of children raised by
same-sex parents – those who live every day within the family
structure at the heart of these lawsuits – are too often unheard in
the debates about same-sex couples and marriage,” the brief's
authors wrote. “Although those who oppose marriage for same-sex
couples frequently make assumptions about the quality of the
children's family lives, the children themselves are rarely asked to
explain what they actually experience.”
“How can they tell me that my family
doesn't count?” Ella Robinson rhetorically asked. “That the
relationship between my two dads that I have not only learned from
and cherished, but also reaped the benefits of, isn't acknowledged on
the federal level? That the love they share isn't deserving of the
same protection and laws that a man and a woman receive?”
“My moms have been together for a
long time, through thick and thin, and they've made it through the
good times and the bad times together, as a team. They have shown me
and the world what a lasting, loving relationship can look like,”
Brian Arsenault said. “And when I think of my own wedding someday,
should I be lucky enough to find a girl I want to spend the rest of
my life with, I can't imagine two better role models to base a family
around than my moms.”
“Not only have my Dads physically and
financially supported me throughout my childhood, but they also have
supported me emotionally, spiritually, and mentally as I have
transitioned into adulthood,” said Sarah Gogin. “For over forty
years, my dads have been living proof that true love does exist and
that perseverance through adversity helps to define who we are. They
have taught me to stay true to myself, to change for no one, and to
be the best me that I can be.”
The
brief concludes: “While the Proponents will tell you that
Proposition 8 and DOMA are good for children, children raised by
same-sex parents will tell you otherwise. These children will tell
you that Proposition 8 and DOMA stigmatize and de-legitimize their
families. And they will tell you that their families are just as
deserving of recognition, respect, and protection as those of
children with opposite-sex parents.”
Allied organizations signing on to the
brief include COLAGE, GLSEN, Our family Coalition, the Center on
Children and Families, and The Child Rights Project.