On November 5, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. The case will determine whether states and localities must contract with child welfare agencies that discriminate against same-sex couples on the basis of their religious beliefs.
“Allowing child welfare agencies to deny service to same-sex couples stigmatizes LGBT people and would likely reduce the number of homes available for children in need,” said Christy Mallory, Legal Director at the Williams Institute.
Recent Research Findings
- An estimated 114,000 same-sex couples are raising children, including 28,000 male same-sex couples and 86,000 female same-sex couples.
- Same-sex couples raising children are seven times more likely to be raising adopted or foster children than their different-sex counterparts.
- The children ofLGB and transgender parents fare as well as children of non-LGBT parents.
- Nearly 20% of youth in foster care in Los Angeles are LGBTQ—twice the number of LGBTQ youth estimated to be living outside of foster care. LGBTQ youth had a higher number of foster care placements and were more likely to be living in a group home, two challenges to finding permanent homes.
- 3 million LGBT adults are religious, reporting that religion is an important part of their daily life or that they regularly attend services.
For more information on the impact of the Court’s decision on same-sex couples, read the Williams Institute’s amicus brief. The Williams Institute will host an online discussion about LGBT parenting on Wednesday, October 28.