Pride Month is a time to celebrate and honor the LGBTQ+ community. Since its origin in 1969, Pride Month has been a global commemoration of love, awareness, acceptance, and being your authentic self.
At Families Rising, we believe every child deserves a loving home, and during Pride Month, we honor the diversity and strength of LGBTQ+ families who provide just that. We are profoundly proud to work hand in hand with LGBTQ+ caregivers, especially those in adoption, foster care, and kinship care, and to support and validate the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth in the child welfare system.
Support for LGBTQ+ Adoption and Foster Care
According to a 2023 Gallup survey, 37% of LGBTQ+ adults have seriously considered fostering a child, and 32% have seriously considered adoption, compared with 23% and 15% of non-LGBTQ+ adults, respectively. These parents are an untapped resource in child welfare and may possess important strengths that give them the capacity to be skilled at caring for children impacted by the child welfare system, yet discriminatory practices and unwelcoming agencies place challenges on LGBTQ+ adults interested in fostering or adopting.
Due to their own experiences, many LGBTQ+ caregivers can empathize with a child’s feelings of lost connections. They may also have a deep understanding of what it means to create a chosen family or have a family that looks different from others. And because they are more likely to have experienced discrimination and rejection at some point in their lives, these parents have often had to advocate for themselves and their communities. They may better understand the root causes of difficult behaviors and the life-changing potential of unconditional love.
Our vision is that every child has a permanent, nurturing family, and LGBTQ+ adoptive and foster parents play a critical role in that. Turning away potential parents based on gender or sexual orientation hurts both the children looking for a family and the parents who are discriminated against. It also cloaks LGBTQ+ identities in shame and stigmatization, sending a harmful message to LGBTQ+ youth in foster care who already face higher rates of negative outcomes because of their identities.
Support for LGBTQ+ Youth
We’re deeply committed to ensuring all young people in the child welfare system receive the support and care they need to thrive. With upwards of 30% of young people in foster care identifying as LGBTQ+, these kids are overrepresented in the system. Further, these young people are disproportionately people of color, and therefore exposed to heightened and unique inequities associated with their intersectional identities.
With reports that around 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+, improving permanence for LGBTQ+ young people in foster care is a moral imperative and central to our work. We’re proud to support the recent rule strengthening protections for these kids at the federal level, requiring placements have specific training and resources to support the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ kids in their care.
Understanding the needs of this vulnerable population is key to setting them up for success. It’s imperative we uplift the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQ+ young people to inform and improve policies and practices in the child welfare system.
Advocacy and Community Involvement
Families Rising recognizes, honors, and welcomes all kinds of families. We work with other groups to support policies that help LGBTQ+ families and kids, and we provide caregivers tools to better understand and support their LGBTQ+ children. As a part of Families Rising Minnesota, we hold space for these families throughout the year – for example, our Parenting LGBTQIA2S + Youth and Young Adults Support Group and our Rainbow Families Support Group.
We invite everyone in our community to get involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy: attend Pride Month events, talk to local representatives, or join advocacy groups. Our website provides access to advocacy resources, tips, and training, such as engaging constituents or meeting with legislators.
Remember, every little bit helps. Together we can make a more inclusive and supportive world for all families. If you have a story about your LGBTQ+ family or child or are an ally, we want to hear from you! Send us an email outlining your story or find us on social media, and you could be featured in an upcoming blog post.
Happy Pride Month!