Last Friday’s announcement overturning Roe vs. Wade was not a surprise but has sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community. While so much is out of our control I want to remind you that we do have the power to act to protect our families and children. Here are four things you can do to protect your family today.
Four Things You Can Do To Protect Your Family
- Ensure that your loved ones are appropriately assigned as beneficiaries to your bank accounts, life insurance plans, and other assets. Moreover, if you are the parent of a transgender child and they change their name, please be sure their name is correct in these often-overlooked areas.
- For those in a same-sex marriage, it is essential that your partner have Power of Attorney and that you have your Advanced Directive in place.
- The Human Rights Campaign has a free resource for estate planning and will development. The HRC is at the forefront of LGBTQ+ equality and protections. I highly recommend using this resource.
- If you are the parent of a child who is transgender it is time to get the gender marker amended on their birth certificate. I recognize that in many states this is not possible. I also recognize that it could become even more complicated as conservative courts push anti-trans legislation across the US. The time to act is now. Here is a link to the National Center for Transgender Equality.
These are just four things you can do to protect your family. We are not powerless. Moreover, we are strong, fierce, and we are authentic. When I feel like I am drowning in despair I close my eyes and picture the sea of people at the end of the Annapolis Pride parade. I did not realize at the time how profound that mental picture would be. We are not alone, you are not alone, we have an incredible community.
2 thoughts on “Four Things You Can Do To Protect Your Family”
You are awesome Jan! I thought of you as I marched in the pride parade today in Rochester New York where I live. It was huge!! And I was thinking about all the extra people who would be out supporting our young people especially during this time and I felt their particularly strong support for TNB people.
I thought back the many years ago to the first parade 1990 I was in, we were just lined up one block, 1 Street, that was it the parade, just me and my partner and a little group of people walking down the street to some clapping. If you could have seen this year and the last many years. Today was like a 2-hour procession of just every kind of church and business they were the methodists who decided to be accepting, the Presbyterians also etcetc . One woman had a shirt that said “the church has left the building”. I like that one the best. It really is a new reality where we dont have to ‘stay’ where we are not comfortable/safe. I have so much hope to see you and other parents choosing you’re children. In my life it would have been monumental just to have migrated over to the other “boys clothes” side of the store. I do believe my parents could have and perhaps did see other ways but it was difficult for them. Knowing what I do now I wish there was a way to teach people for they are so confused and not even seeing how they are creating their own nightmares. If they were to know for instance someone wouldn’t have had to suffer for 40 years in the body if they had been able to have puberty blockers as a child and might have been able to avoid pretty serious surgery. All these things. If people could only get to the other side of the road in their own head. It shouldn’t have to be so complicated as they think. The people that they love, and their very survival.
He’s to a better future
Tim,
I am so glad we have connected. It is so helpful for this momma to have your input in my life. You hit the nail on the head. It is not easy to stand up to societal heteronormative, cis normative standards. However, it is imperative that parents place their child’s mental health and well-being above their own comfort.