File photo of one LGBT family. Children growing up in LGBT families are more likely to live in poverty and may be denied legal ties to one of their parents, a report released on Tuesday showed.(Agencies) |
Children growing up in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families are more likely to live in poverty and may be denied legal ties to one of their parents, a report released on Tuesday showed. A lack of federal recognition of same-sex marriages means such families face higher tax burdens and unequal access to health insurance and government safety net programs, said the report entitled "All Children Matter: How Legal and Social Inequalities Hurt LGBT Families." The report was released online and authored by groups advocating for gay rights including Movement Advancement Project, Family Equality Council and Center for American Progress. "The reality is if you look at today's modern families, they come in all shapes and sizes," said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of Family Equality Council. "The laws and policies we have in place haven't kept pace with that changing reality," she said. An estimated two million children are being raised in such households, the report said. They live in 96 percent of US counties in racially and ethnically diverse families, it said. Their children are as happy, healthy and well-adjusted as their peers raised by heterosexual parents, it said. But such families are more likely to live in poverty than married heterosexual households, the report said. In 31 states, it is very challenging for same-sex parents to establish legal ties for their children to both parents, Chrisler said. Thus a child could be left vulnerable if a parent dies or the relationship dissolves. For example, Naz Meftah and Lydia Banuelos were legally married in California and are parents to three young children. Banuelos is not recognized legally as their parent, cannot sign medical releases for them at the doctor and is not listed on their birth certificates. The couple participated in the release of the report. "It's not just sentimental and heart breaking. It has a real impact," Meftah told the reporters. "We are legally married and Lydia is a stranger to her own kids by law." (Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies)
|
本周二發(fā)布的最新報告顯示,生活在女同性戀、男同性戀、雙性戀和變性人家庭的孩子更容易生活貧困,而且與其中一位家長的法律關(guān)系還可能不被認(rèn)可。 報告指出,由于聯(lián)邦政府尚未承認(rèn)同性婚姻,致使此類家庭面臨更高的稅收負(fù)擔(dān),加入健康保險和政府安全網(wǎng)計劃的機會也不平等。報告名為《所有的孩子都重要:法律和社會不平等如何傷害同性家庭》。 該報告由倡導(dǎo)同性戀權(quán)利的團體“運動促進項目”、“家庭平等委員會”和“美國進步中心”共同撰寫,并在網(wǎng)上發(fā)表。 “家庭平等委員會”執(zhí)行董事珍妮弗?克里斯勒說:“事實上,當(dāng)今的現(xiàn)代家庭形態(tài)和大小各異?!?/p> 她說:“現(xiàn)實不斷變化,但目前的法律和政策還跟不上?!?/p> 報告估計,全美大約兩百萬兒童生活在這類家庭中,遍布96%的美國郡縣的各個族裔。 他們與異性戀家庭的孩子一樣快樂健康地生活,非常適應(yīng)生活環(huán)境。 但報告指出,這種家庭與已婚異性戀家庭相比趨于貧困。 克里斯勒指出,在美國的31個州,同性父母雙方難以與子女建立法律關(guān)系。如果雙親中有一人去世或者關(guān)系瓦解,孩子就會非常無助。 例如,納茲?梅夫塔哈和莉迪亞?巴紐艾洛斯在加州正式登記結(jié)婚,養(yǎng)育有三個年幼的子女。 但法律不承認(rèn)巴紐艾洛斯是其父母,因此她無法在醫(yī)院為孩子簽醫(yī)療單,而且名字不能寫在孩子的出生證明上。 這對夫婦參與了報告的發(fā)布。 梅夫塔哈告訴記者:“這不僅讓人悲傷和心碎,還有切實的影響。我們正式注冊結(jié)婚,但在法律上講,莉迪亞對自己的孩子來說卻是陌生人?!?/p> 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 Julie 編輯:陳丹妮) |
Vocabulary: LGBT Families: lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families 同性家庭 well-adjusted: 完全適應(yīng)環(huán)境的 |