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| The Right to Care For Our Loved Ones |
The United States continues to be the only industrialized nation without permanent paid leave for all, and LGBTQ workers—women, people with disabilities, and low-income people especially—often lack access to paid family leave. Now more than ever, our country desperately needs a comprehensive paid family and medical leave policy—one that has an updated understanding of which individuals count as family.
The concept of "chosen family" is simple: Our ability to be cared for and receive health care should not depend on the family we were born into or to whom we share legal ties. Chosen family is particularly important for LGBTQ people. Twenty-nine percent of respondents to a nationally representative Center for American Progress survey of LGBTQ Americans reported that they would be most likely to turn to a partner to whom they are not legally married for care if they needed to take time off work for health-related reasons. CAP research also found that one-third of LGBTQ individuals reported that they would be most likely to rely on friends or chosen family members for care when they are sick.
Now that temporary COV1D-19 emergency paid leave has expired, 4 out of 5 workers are left without any paid family leave, risking their health and economic security. Expanding access to paid family and medical leave has always been important, but it's even more critical during the simultaneous health and economic crises of the coronavirus pandemic. To truly meet the needs of LGBTQ individuals, a permanent paid leave policy must be designed to recognize the diverse reality of families in America, regardless of blood or legal relation.
Read more on the case for chosen family in paid family and medical leave policies. |
| Reintroduction of the Equality Act |
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With this week's reintroduction of the Equality Act, Congress has taken the first step to codify the Supreme Court's landmark protections and update our civil rights laws to expand protections for LGBTQ people as well as women, people of color, and people of faith. The need is urgent, the support is strong, and President Biden has affirmed that he is ready to sign this critical legislation into law. It is time for Congress to pass the Equality Act. |
| Related Stories |
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| Lessening the Pandemic's Burden on LGBTQ Workers and Families |
| Compared with the general population, LGBTQ people are at greater risk of experiencing economic insecurities due to disproportionate economic hardships, such as higher rates of poverty and unemployment, greater food insecurity and vulnerability to homelessness, and workforce discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. These conditions and disparities predate the pandemic, but they have also been exacerbated by it. Government responses to the economic crisis must not leave LGBTQ workers and families behind. |
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| The Need for Targeted COVID-19 Relief In LGBTQ Communities |
| Mitigating the pandemic's detrimental impact on the lives of LGBTQ people and ensuring that the community is vaccinated will require a strategically coordinated effort to implement policies in the areas of public health and health care, among others. CAP provides recommendations for how all levels of government can integrate targeted assistance for LGBTQ people throughout their responses to this deadly pandemic, which is magnifying existing health inequalities. |
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| 5 Ways To Include Student Voice in Education Policymaking |
In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, policymakers are trying to figure out how best to educate students remotely, how and when to reopen schools, and how to address the vast inequities exposed by the pandemic. One important voice that has been largely missing in these discussions, however, is that of students, who have had little to no say in the state of their own education.
To hear directly from students, CAP partnered with the student-led nonprofit organization Student Voice in late 2020 to conduct a community conversation with high schoolers from across the country. The discussion focused on the ways schools were not listening to them and how they would like their voices to be included in future decision-making. |
| Meet Nicole Rapfogel |
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