User:Majormeg/LGBT Parenting

Stressors for Trans Parents
Transgender families can experience unique social pressure. Consequently, transgender parents may experience stressors or barriers relating to their gender transition, which can have an impact on their overall family dynamics and can influence outcomes for transgender people. A study from 2014 revealed that 69% of participants experienced rejection from their families, friends, or community members, or experienced fear and stress, surrounding the reactions of these groups to them coming out as transgender. Trans parents also experience transphobia on a societal level. From the same study, "Forty-four percent reported experiences of job discrimination, workplace harassment, or fears of coming out at work." A sense of support, especially from family, was found to be an important factor for coping with stressors. 43% of participants stated that they mostly depended on their children for support to help their coping with stress related to their gender transition, while 29% named their partner as their most important support. A 2016 study examined how potential stressors for families, access to resources, and the trans parent's perceptions impact how the family functions. The functioning of the family refers to their ability to handle stress and in turn, their ability to steer clear of crisis situations. The study's findings indicate that experience of stigma surrounding transgender identities, uncertainty of their role or status of acceptance in their families following gender transition, and sense of coherence had the most profound impact on family functioning. Sense of Coherence refers to viewing one's environment as "comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful." Experiencing stigma, as well as uncertainty of their acceptance within their families, were found to contribute to lower satisfaction in family functioning. The study also found that negative effects of stigma can be offset by a strong sense of coherence, while satisfaction in the family's functioning can be strengthened by a strong sense of coherence.

Outspoken Voices Podcast
The Outspoken Voices Podcast is produced by Family Equality and hosted by Emily McGranachan and Dakota Fine. This podcast is "by and for LGBTQ+ parents, people with LGBTQ+ parents, grandparents and everyone else who is part of our family journeys." Outspoken Voices aired their first episode on January 10th, 2017 and continues to release new episodes monthly. The host discusses numerous important topics with guests and are specifically catered for LGBTQ+ families and LGBTQ+ individuals that plan to have families.

Fulton vs. City of Philadelphia
Fulton vs. Philadelphia is a Supreme Court case between Catholic Social Services (CSS) and the city of Philadelphia that took place from November 4th, 2020 to June 17, 2021. The city's contracts with adoption agencies prohibit discrimination of LGBTQ couples by law. The city of Philadelphia ended its contract with CSS because the agency refused to consider LGBTQ couples when screening for foster care parents, stating that it was due to the religious belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. CSS operates other types of foster care services, like group homes, and received millions of dollars from Philadelphia regardless of the dismissal of their contract. In the court case, CSS claimed that the dismissal of their contract with the city was impeding on their First Amendment right. The lawyer for Philadelphia, Neal Katyal, argued that, "You can't on Monday sign a contract that says we won't discriminate and on Tuesday go ahead and discriminate." The case also aimed to overturn a prior court Supreme Court case, Employment Division vs. Smith (1990), which concluded that the government's neutral enforcement of a general law is legitimate even if it negatively impacts a religious party. The court ruled that Philadelphia's decision to dismiss the contract violated the rights granted by the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. Despite siding with CSS in Fulton vs. City of Philadelphia, the court did not overturn the 1990 case ruling.

Russia
LGBTQ children are not affirmed in Russia. LGBTQ topics are not implemented into school curriculums in Russia due to the Russian gay propaganda law. This law bans any promotion of LGBTQ relationships, or any promotion of social relations that deviate from "traditional family values". "The legislation introduces fines of up to 5,000 rubles (US $155) for individuals and 200,000 (US $6,186) for officials who disseminate information about homosexuality among minors." A sense of community is often valuable for LGBTQ individuals, especially as a resource for accurate information on sexuality and gender, but this law makes that almost impossible for youth.