Post by helloerrbody on Jul 14, 2017 19:07:04 GMT -6
aprilz81 ashburn
I think we can all agree that our parental leave policies in the US need help. We fall behind every single other developed country in the world. The point of the article was to point out that LBGT parents often have a more difficult time for a number of reasons. From just plain ignorance making a hostile work environment to legal struggles due to states not recognizing the non birth parent as a legal relative of the child at all. When DS was born it took almost a year to get my wife's name on his birth certificate. Thankfully her employer gave her leave anyway. If a child is born through a sperm donor to a married straight couple, the father is legally recognized as the husband of the birth mother because they are married. Even if he is not the bio Dad. That's not the case for LGBT couples. In many cases, the non biological parent needs to adopt the child. Even if the LGBT couple is married. So it's absolutely hard for everyone but LGBT couples definitely face different struggles. To quote the article directly: "Taking leave from work to welcome a new child isn’t easy for a lot of parents — and LGBT families often have to navigate policies that were designed with cisgender, straight couples in mind. The US is one of a handful of nations that doesn’t mandate any paid parental leave. When employers do provide paid time, it’s frequently funded through short-term disability policies that only cover parents who give birth. Adoptive parents of any gender often get less time to bond with their new additions. Under a federal law called the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), employers over a certain size have to provide 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave, though not all employees are eligible. The law states that someone who acts “in loco parentis” — i.e. takes on the responsibilities of parenting — is eligible for leave, even if they don’t have a biological or legal relationship with the child."
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I see it more if two gay men adopt or do surrogacy because it is more "unexpected" (poor word choice but I don't know what would be more appropriate) that a father take extended leave for the birth of a child.
Please know I mean no offense and I'm trying to understand.
As she stated, it took a year for them to get her wife's name on the birth certificate. So if she had worked for a company that only allows leave if you have "proof," it would have been an issue- and one that wouldn't affect a heterosexual couple. Leave in the US definitely sucks for everyone, but it can definitely be even harder for those who are LGBT. I guarantee there are office environments that treat a homosexual parent differently (in a negative way) after giving birth or becoming a parent than they do a heterosexual parent.