What is a chosen family?

Our definition of family is people committed to be there for each other no matter what.  

This includes chosen family, who have no biological relationship or legal marriage, but create a connection with dedication.

Many BIPOC families have chosen aunties and uncles with no blood relationship, but a decision to stay connected as family and commitment to the children.

Many LGBTQ+ people throughout history and today build chosen families when rejected by their biological families of origin, or when wanting families that share their values. 

The founders of Chosen Family Law Center have been buoyed by their own chosen families and work to create protections for their families and others like them.

We believe these families deserve the stability that comes with the opportunity for legal agreements and partnership recognition.

Learn more at our Founder and Executive Director’s TED talk.

The Chosen Family Law Center, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to cultivating equitable social and legal recognition of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA) and polyamorous families and individuals, as well as other underserved family forms such as platonic co-parents or multigenerational families; eliminate prejudice and discrimination and defend human, civil, and other rights for these communities; and offering education to lawyers, therapists, and other professionals to enable them to best serve these communities.   

The primary activities to achieve the objectives and purposes of this corporation shall be:  

(a)     To produce Continuing Legal Education classes and training documents for lawyers, and trainings and resources for mental health professionals, to understand these communities and best serve them;

(b)     To create and maintain a directory of vetted culturally-competent attorneys, mental health professionals, and other service providers who have received these trainings;

(c)     To create public education materials to keep these communities informed of their legal rights, such as the means to protect their parent-child relationship with legal recognition;

(d)     To create public education materials for public policy advocacy; and  

(e)    To provide legal information and representation and mediation services for underserved clients in the area of family creation and protection; and  (f)    To provide public education as well as direct facilitation and consulting around alternative justice systems.