Every Child Deserves a Family Act

One in three foster youth identify as LGBTQ, and evidence shows they are among the most likely to face difficulty in government care.

Since the U.S. legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, several states have passed laws allowing publicly funded child welfare organizations to exclude millions of LGBTQ adults as potential foster parents. This, combined with a Trump administration executive order on religious liberty, is cause for concern over the future of child welfare programs, according to a new policy brief from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

Texas faith-based child welfare providers say they are currently allowed to choose what children and families they will work with based on their religious beliefs. But they want legislative assurance that the current policy won’t change.