LGBTQ Law

For lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals and couples, life can be complicated. Relationships, jobs, and everyday activities mean that most of us come in contact with the law regularly.  We engage in commercial transactions, we deal with our health benefits, we pay taxes and save for retirement. For LGBTQ folks, that means they must stay in touch with current laws and rules as the body of LGBTQ focused law is currently evolving all over the country. Whether it's changes to the laws about same-sex marriage, or special tax rules that apply to LGBT couples, there's a lot to know. Find the information you need right here!

A significant issue affecting same-sex couples is their rights as parents.  More importantly, their rights as parents in the face of divorce or separation.  In today’s age, with the help of technology, there are a number of ways for same-sex couples to go about becoming parents. However, this does not mean that the law has kept up with advancing reproductive technology.  Often, same-sex couples will decide for one of them to become the birth parent to one or all of the couple’s children, and either uses donor sperm or eggs to achieve their pregnancy goals.  Unfortunately, sometimes relationships come to an end, and issues arise when the couple separates because the non-biological parent may not have any rights to custody or even visitation access to their children. Courts are unlikely to grant custody to a non-biological and non-legal parent in these cases. Therefore it is essential to consult with an experienced family law attorney like those here at The Joseph Firm before entering into parenthood as part of a same-sex couple to make sure your parental rights are protected. Contact our office at (305)-501-0922 today to get started.

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