Together with Children of Lesbians And Gays Everywhere (COLAGE), the California Safe Schools Coalition has developed a new resource for LGBT parents and students with LGBT parents and guardians. We hope that the All Families Welcome brochure will be of assistance to you as we work together to educate teachers and administrators about LGBT families.
Click here to read the complete All Families Welcome brochure.
Click here to download the PDF of the brochure.
Quick Facts on Families With LGBT Parents:
• Millions of children in the U.S. are growing up in homes with LGBT parents.
• According to the 2000 Census, California has more gay and lesbian couples with children than any other state, and these
families live in every county in California.
• Families with LGBT parents come in many shapes and family arrangements. They include families of all races, ethnic
groups, socioeconomic status, and religions; and families living in all kinds of communities.
• According to the American Association of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association, research shows that children of LGBT parents do just as well in emotional, cognitive, and social development as children whose parents are heterosexual.
• Many schools are unsafe and unwelcoming for students with LGBT parents. In the California Safe Schools Coalition’s 2003 Preventing School Harassment Survey, 91 percent of students reported hearing anti-LGBT slurs at school. 39 percent of students surveyed said their school was unsafe for students with LGBT parents.
What California Law Says:
• Students with LGBT parents have the right to attend school in safety, free of any form of harassment or discrimination.
• Students and school staff are protected from harassment and discrimination on the basis of association with LGBT people, as well as actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. (Education Code Section 200 and 220)
• Schools have an “affirmative obligation” to combat bias, including bias based on sexual orientation and gender identity. (Education Code Section 201)
• LGBT parents have the right to participate on an equal basis with all parents in their school community and to be recognized equally in all school policies, forms, and documents.
• LGBT parents have the same right as other parents to designate a person to act on their behalf at school.
