Your adorable queer parenting community needs help

Queensland is looking at the biggest reversal of gay and lesbian legal rights in the world, ever. Your adorable queer parenting community needs help. And here is how to help them from Queensland lesbian mama friends of mine (they sometimes comment on my blog and you’d love them if you knew them, and god knows it is a small world and you probably do):

We need your help.  In 2010 the law changed in Queensland so that children of same-sex couples were able to have both parents recognised in law and named on their birth certificates.  Many of you helped with that campaign and it’s a pity we need to ask you to help again. Unfortunately it looks like the LNP Government is going to reverse that reform, as well as the reform to the Surrogacy Act.  This means that our unborn child would only have one legal parent.  If the laws are retrospective, our existing child could lose his other mother as his legal parent.  We find it heartbreaking that these rights could be taken from our children.

The changes are expected to happen fast and with very little or no consultation.  Parliament sits again next Tuesday, 10 July.  In considering the legislation in the party room, the elected LNP representatives need to be aware of their constituents’ views so that hopefully cannot ignore these views when they speak for them.

We would be extremely grateful if you could find the time to write a letter to your local MP, ideally this week.  For your local MP’s contact details, go to www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/current/list. We also think it would be useful to cc the Premier into any emails you send, so he can receive the same message. His email is: thepremier@premiers.qld.gov.au

There is an example letter below, or have a look at their Rainbow Families Queensland facebook page or website
(www.rainbowfamiliesqld.org/urgent-campaign/) for more examples – there’s also a webform there.  If you have time to personalise a letter that would be great.

You may also wish to “like” the Facebook page for Rainbow Families Queensland so you get news and updates on the campaign. There is going to be an e-petition sponsored by Jackie Trad MP. There’ll be a link on the Rainbow Families Queensland facebook page or go to www.rainbowfamiliesqld.org/urgent-campaign/ so please sign it.

We would really appreciate it if you could do this for us. Thank you so much and we hope that our combined letters and actions may have some effect.

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Dear xyz, MPI am writing a letter because I have family members/friends who are going to be affected by the changes to the parentage presumption proposed in the Queensland parliament recently.

My friends have a son aged four.  They are expecting their second child this November.  Both children were conceived with a known donor after a great deal of planning.  They are great mums to their son, who is well-adjusted, happy and loved. They have both mums’ names on their child’s birth certificate. They are very worried that changes to legislation will remove their rights to be listed as parents on their children’s birth certificates, and the impact this will have on their children’s confidence and feelings of acceptance in the community. I ask you to please consider the impact of any changes on children and their families.

I did not know before the election that the LNP was planning on changing the Surrogacy Act or the laws with respect to parentage presumption in the Status of Children Act. The LNP was not given a mandate to be homophobic or discriminatory. I ask you to please respect the trust Queenslanders have placed in you by promoting a diverse, progressive and tolerant Queensland where everyone can thrive, which we can feel proud of and which attracts visitors and new residents to our State.

I would like to know as my local member, what will your position be in the party room regarding these changes? Do you believe LNP members should have a conscience vote on this issue? And do you support any changes made to legislation going through a full committee process?

I look forward to hearing your response to my questions.