Education Policy
Our Family Coalition works to ensure that all students feel safe and validated at school, including those who are a part of LGBTQ families or who identify as LGBTQ themselves. Students grow and learn best in an environment free from harassment, bullying, and prejudice.
Current law provides protections for young people based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender and gender identity. California’s youth are protected not only in public schools, but in any other publicly-funded organization, including juvenile justice facilities and the foster care system. Additionally, California schools are required to provide accurate, fair, and respectful information about the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people throughout history.
Employment
Great strides have been made in the area of employment protections for LGBTQ individuals in recent years, and Our Family Coalition is dedicated to ensuring that all LGBTQ Californians get the respect, dignity and protection they deserve in the workplace. Access to healthcare benefits, paid family leave and a stable income is vital for a family’s wellbeing and safety.
While there is currently no federal legislation that protects LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination, California law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender and gender identity.
Family Law
Our Family Coalition is California’s largest LGBTQ family organization, and family law has been a core issue ever since the start.
While marriage equality finally has been established throughout the United States, same-sex and transgender couples planning to start a family still face many barriers. This includes barriers for family formation such as insufficient coverage in assisted reproductive technology, as well as discrimination in adoption and foster care placements. Transgender parents often face painful and discriminatory treatment in custody battles, and many LGBTQ parents face barriers in establishing legal relationships between parent and child.
These relationships would allow our families to retain custody of our children as well as to make decisions regarding our child’s health, education and well-being. Our Family coalition is dedicated to support legislation that secures the rights of LGBTQ families.
For over twenty years, Our Family Coalition has provided LGBTQ+ families in the Bay Area and beyond unparalleled support, education, and advocacy.
Family Visibility and Support
Our Family Coalition is dedicated to increasing visibility for our families and to change public opinion through advocacy and conscious conversations.
Over the past few years, we have seen a change in mainstream media not only talking about LGBTQ people, but also about LGBTQ families and their kids. While this attests to a shift in attitudes, Our Family Coalition conducts research in positive messaging, gather stories to shift positions and advocates for change to further transform public opinion.
Health and Human Services
LGBTQ families are low-income families to a higher extent than the broader community, and face significant disparities in their health. Having equal access to Health and Human Services is crucial.
Our Family Coalition strives to make existing resources accessible to all of California’s families, including low-income families. Our Family Coalition also works to introduce and support legislation that improves Health and Human Services for our families.
Racial & Economic Justice
Our Family Coalition is dedicated to fighting against racial and economic injustice and combating the particular effects it has on lower income LGBTQ families and LGBTQ families of color. We advocate for an intersectional approach to societal issues and policy that supports the right of all LGBTQ families to lead safe, happy, financially secure lives.
Examples of this work includes o ur supporting various legislation that seeks to support families of color and families with a lower income. Our Family Coalition is a member of the Fix School Discipline Policy Coalition. The Fix School Discipline Policy Coalition supports AB 420, a bill that seeks to curb the school to prison pipeline by prohibiting the suspension and expulsion of students for “disruptive/willful defiance”, which disproportionately targets students of color. We have also supported AB 1066 (overtime for Farmworkers).
Our Family Coalition regularly creates programming specifically for QTPOC, such as API LGBTQ Eat & Greets, Juneteenth Parade Family Contingent, and support groups and topical workshops by and for LGBTQ parents and caregivers of color. Our Family Coalition seeks to make all of our events accessible to all LGBTQ families by offering most of our family support programming on a donation/sliding scale basis, offering free child care at nearly all events, and providing refreshments during daytime events and meals during evening events.
Immigration Reform
Our Family Coalition is dedicated to increasing visibility for our families and to change public opinion through advocacy and conscious conversations.
Over the past few years, we have seen a change in mainstream media not only talking about LGBTQ people, but also about LGBTQ families and their kids. While this attests to a shift in attitudes, Our Family Coalition conducts research in positive messaging, gather stories to shift positions and advocates for change to further transform public opinion.
Transgender Rights
Our Family Coalition works to secure rights for all transgender people, who not only face many of the same legal issues confronted by lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, but often encounter additional obstacles based on misinformation and open hostility. Our Family Coalition especially focuses on transgender parents, who often encounter discriminatory treatment in custody battles.
While there is currently no federal legislation that protects transgender people from discrimination, California law prohibits discrimination based on gender and gender identity.
Family Support
We provide support for LGBTQ families with children, prospective parents, youth, allies, community partners and volunteers.
Education
We believe that schools should be a positive place to learn where all students are invited and encouraged to be their full selves.
