New Passport Forms Heart Your Two Moms (or Dads)
It's small, but very notable: US passport forms for children have been changed in order to accommodate families with two dads or two moms, by changing the "mother" and "father" headings to include "parent 1" and "parent 2." The new forms became available January 3, meaning 2011 begins just another governmental agency's acceptance (the Department of State, in this case) of same-sex couples. They may not be able to get married yet in all states, but being able to sign on as official parents of their children is a major step.
The Global Cocktails blog has quotes from the Family Equality Council in appreciation:
'The updates remove significant challenges for the two-million children being parented by LGBT parents,' said Jennifer Chrisler, the executive director of Family Equality Council, which led the effort to change the forms. 'The new forms prevent denial or delays for accessing fundamental aspects of American citizenship, and send a positive message of inclusion in American life for children with same-sex parents. We are grateful to both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama for prioritizing this change.'
Hopefully this advance will mean fewer awkward questions for gay families at foreign passport controls.
[Photo: danny.hamontree]
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