LGBT Families Blog Category - Law Office of Brian Esser PLLC

Second-Parent Adoptions - Advanced Issues

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I recently wrote about why married same-sex couples, particularly female couples who conceive their child using anonymous donor sperm, still should complete a second-parent adoption. I want to look at some other forms of family formation here, and ad… Read More

Tags: LGBT families, second-parent adoption, sperm donation, surrogacy, transgender families

Second-parent adoptions: Do I still need to do one after Obergefell?

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Brian Esser

The question comes up eventually. Whether I am doing a talk specifically for LGBT parents or at a meet-up of same-sex families like mine, a mother will ask me: Do I really need to do a second-parent adoption? Still? The “still” is because of Ober… Read More

Categories: Blog, LGBT Families, Second-Parent Adoption

Tags: Child-Parent Security Act, LGBT families, Obergefell, second-parent adoption

Religious Freedom Laws and the License to Discriminate

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Brian Esser

This post originally appeared in the Expert Advice section on the great site Gays with Kids. I was in my office this past June when the Supreme Court (finally) held that the right to marry extends to same-sex couples with the Obergefell decision. I w… Read More

Categories: Adoption, Blog, LGBT Families

Tags: adoption, Alabama, foster care, Human Rights Campaign, Kentucky, Kim Davis, LGBT families, Michigan, Mississippi, Obergefell, religion and ethics, religious freedom laws, RFRA, South Dakota, Virginia

What the Recent SCOTUS Ruling Means for New Yorkers

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Brian Esser

This post originally ran on the blog of the New York Legal Assistance Group, and was co-authored with staff attorney Anya Mukarji-Connolly. The historic United States Supreme Court ruling that has legalized same-sex marriage sends a strong message of… Read More

Categories: Blog, LGBT Families, Second-Parent Adoption

Tags: adoption, Child-Parent Security Act, inter-country adoption, Louisiana, marriage equality, Mississippi, Obergefell, second-parent adoption, Texas

Second-Parent Adoption Following Surrogacy

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Brian Esser

I’ve written before about why a non-biological parent in married same-sex couples should complete second adoption, even if both parents are on named on the child’s birth certificate. Most families have no trouble getting a court to grant the adop… Read More

Tags: assisted reproductive technology, gestational surrogacy, India, international surrogacy, LGBT families, second-parent adoption, surrogacy

Do I Really Need a Sperm Donor Agreement?

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Brian Esser

When I talk to potential clients considering using a known sperm donor (especially lesbian couples), I often get two questions: “Can’t I just do the donor agreement myself?” No. “Do I really need a sperm donor agreement?”… Read More

Tags: assisted reproductive technology, donor conception, intended parents, LGBT families, second-parent adoption, sperm donation

Brian Is Now Part of Family Equality Council's "Ask the Experts" Panel

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Brian Esser

I am honored that Family Equality Council has asked me to be part of their “Ask the Experts” panel. I will be answering questions about immigration and citizenship as they relate to LGBT families. I look forward to helping bi-national cou… Read More

Categories: Firm News, LGBT Families

Tags: asylum, bi-national couples, Family Equality Council, firm news, immigration, LGBT families, US citizenship

Cutting Through the Confusion About Second-Parent Adoptions in New York

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Brian Esser

A judge in Brooklyn Surrogate’s Court recently sent shockwaves through the community with the decision refusing to grant a second-parent adoption for the non-biological mom in a married lesbian couple. Her reasoning was New York law already recogni… Read More

Categories: Adoption, LGBT Families

Tags: adoption, Brooklyn, LGBT families, marriage equality, second-parent adoption

Why Utah Matters

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Brian Esser

“This one feels different,” was how Rachel Maddow summed up last week’s marriage-equality victory in Utah on her show, hours after the US District Court judge handed down his opinion. She and her guest, NYU law professor Kenji Yoshino, talked a… Read More

Categories: LGBT Families

Tags: LGBT families, marriage equality, second-parent adoption, step-parent adoption, Utah

» LGBT Families

Second-Parent Adoptions - Advanced Issues

Second-parent adoptions: Do I still need to do one after Obergefell?

Religious Freedom Laws and the License to Discriminate

What the Recent SCOTUS Ruling Means for New Yorkers

Top 12 Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Stories of 2014 - Part 2

Second-Parent Adoption Following Surrogacy

Do I Really Need a Sperm Donor Agreement?

Brian Is Now Part of Family Equality Council's "Ask the Experts" Panel

Cutting Through the Confusion About Second-Parent Adoptions in New York

Why Utah Matters

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