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DIANA ADAMS: TED Talk on Chosen Families

The nuclear family model may no longer be the norm in the US, but it's still the basis for social and economic benefits like health care, tax breaks and citizenship. Lawyer and LBGTQIA advocate Diana Adams believes that all families, regardless of biological relationship or legal marriage, are deserving of equal legal rights and recognition. They present a vision for how US laws can benefit all families -- from same-sex bonds to multi-parent partnerships -- and explain how a more inclusive definition of family could strengthen your relationships and community.  

CFLC IN THE NEWS!

April 2025: amNY

City Council approving sweeping protections for trans and gender-diverse communities


The City Council on Thursday is expected to approve a broad legislative package aimed at strengthening civil rights protections and healthcare access for transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and intersex (TGNCNBI) individuals, marking one of the most comprehensive local efforts in the nation to safeguard gender-diverse communities.


. . . The legislation builds on the 2024 passage of New York State’s Equal Rights Amendment, which added gender identity and other categories to the state constitution’s list of protected classes.


“This is the strongest package of trans safety bills passed in the country so far,” said Diana Adams, executive director of the Chosen Family Law Center, which consulted on the legislation.


In addition to the bills, the Council passed several resolutions urging state-level action. These include calls for stronger protections for personal health data and stricter requirements for hospitals to follow trans health care standards.

December 2024: The City

Trump Bump at NYC Marriage Bureau as Couples Rush to Tie the Knot 

https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/12/09/trump-bump-marriage-bureau-same-sex-couples/


"The City Clerk’s office, which oversees the Marriage Bureau, recorded 8,537 marriage license appointments made in November 2024, the month when Trump was reelected. That’s a 33% increase compared to November last year, according to data the agency shared with THE CITY.  

 

. . . Diana Adams, the executive director of Chosen Family Law Center, said that if Obergefell v. Hodges were to fall, unmarried same-sex couples could run into problems when traveling to red states that don’t have the same protections, especially couples with children. 

“Having a legal connection to your child, having a legal connection to your partner is very, very helpful. And so if you were intending to get married, this is the time to get married,” Adams said."

December 2024: LGBTQ Nation


Marriage skyrockets in NYC as couples rush to tie the knot before Donald Trump takes office

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/12/marriages-skyrockets-in-nyc-as-couples-rush-to-tie-the-knot-before-donald-trump-takes-office/


"Attorney Diana Adams, executive director of the Chosen Family Law Center, advised unmarried same-sex couples, particularly those with children, to establish a legal connection with longtime partners and children in their relationship as a form of insurance.


“Having a legal connection to your child, having a legal connection to your partner is very, very helpful. And so if you were intending to get married, this is the time to get married,” Adams said."

September 2024: Good Housekeeping

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/parenting/a61486179/non-nuclear-family-polyamory-kids/ 

 

Lawyer Diana Adams thinks that U.S. laws need to expand to include protections for a diversity of families, and has helped spearhead efforts to do so in a variety of states. Most recently, they were part of the coalition that drafted and passed bills in Oakland and Berkeley to extend non-discrimination laws to cover individuals with diverse family and intimate relationship structures, including multi-partner/multi-parent families and relationships, step-families, multi-generational households, non-nuclear family structures, consensually nonmonogamous relationships and platonic partnerships, including asexual and aromantic relationships. “It benefits all of us to allow for the kinds of families that exist and give them the support they need to be stable,” Adams says. 

July 2024: USA Today

July 2024: USA Today

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/07/24/polyamory-pregnancy-everything-complicated/74379217007/

 

Diana Adams, an attorney who is polyamorous, has been assisting hundreds of polyamorous people with family mediation since 2007. Adams says it can be helpful to lawyer up. A lot of questions need to be worked out when it comes to polyamory and starting a family: How long does a parent need to be dating someone before they meet a child? Should they be joining for family dinners multiple times a week, or for holidays? Not to mention considerations about shared values, like money, and what everyone's definition of infidelity is. "I do create legal agreements for people, whether that's a co-parenting agreement or a financial agreement about how they want to share finances," Adams says. "But I see those conversations as even more valuable for keeping people out of conflict."

May 2024: KQED

CFLC's legislative work expanded to the West Coast in 2024:

Berkeley Passes Legal Protections for Polyamory, Joining Oakland


"Similar legislation passed in Oakland last month, spearheaded by Janani Ramachandran, the city’s first LGBTQ councilwoman of color. The votes are believed to be the first of their kind on the West Coast. In recent years, the Massachusetts cities of Somerville and Cambridge passed laws granting rights to nontraditional families . . . 


These laws raise awareness about the many forms of modern family and declares discrimination against them unacceptable and unlawful,” said Diana Adams, the executive director of Chosen Family Law Center. “That reduces stigma for us everywhere.”

May 2024: Slate.com

https://slate.com/life/2024/05/polyamory-sexual-orientation-legal-protections.html


This Slate.com article discusses the recent laws protecting and supporting polyamorous families that CFLC has helped to pass in Massachusetts and California, and the movement to expand these rights nationwide.

May 2024: The Cut

https://www.thecut.com/article/sperm-donors-found-in-facebook-groups-fertility.html


"Diana Adams, an attorney in New York, has drafted hundreds of sperm-donation agreements over nearly two decades, typically among friends or acquaintances. Whether it’s a “godfather” or “special uncle” situation, Adams says there can be conflicts, hurt feelings, and kids left feeling abandoned when their trusted adults make changes to their relationships. “I’ve been involved in a number of the disputes that happen when people do not have a sperm-donation agreement,” she says. “Those situations can be fraught and dangerous for the children.” 



May 2024: Savage Love: Sex & Politics

In this episode, Dan and Diana talk about the necessity to gain legal protections for poly folks, separate from the spiritual concept of matrimony. They answer a question from a man considering donating his sperm to an ex. And hear Dan try to score some free legal advice. 

April 2024: Curbed/NY Magazine

CFLC Clients were featured in this Curbed Article on Platonic Life Partners, discussing their family and the work we did for them to create a plantonic CoParenting Agreement!

April 2024: Savage Love: Best Interests

On this episode of the Savage Love podcast: His ex was upset when he got a new girlfriend—now he's got two girlfriends. His ex's opinion on polyamory wouldn't matter if they didn't have a small child together. What can he do? Diana Adams has some expert advice... 

April 2024: Forbes

Forbes.com: A surprising array of rights and benefits accrue to married couples in the U.S., including health care and health insurance, tax breaks, housing, and citizenship. Yet less than 18% of American adults today actually fit the mold of being in their first marriage living in a nuclear family with kids. How can we update our laws and normalize a wider array of family options? Ashoka’s Irene Milleiro caught up with Diana Adams, founder of the Chosen Family Law Center in New York City, to learn more. 

April 2024: Gay Sons & Mothers

Diana Adams was a special guest for the Gay Sons & Mothers Mothers Who Inspire:  Honoring Queer & Chosen Mothers live event on April 15, 2024, and shared their journey as both a biological & chosen mother in the NYC queer community.    

More here:  https://www.rickmiller.biz/events/nejznssvr21pk949gxov8765k38cun

March 2024: American Bar Association

March 2024: American Bar Association

Our Senior Legal Director Andy Izenson moderated an online webinar for the ABA about creating more welcoming workplaces for nonbinary legal professionals!   


Check out the recorded webinar & trailblazing online guide here:   


"Creating More Welcoming Workplaces for Nonbinary Individuals | Practical Steps Towards Gender Inclusion in the Legal Profession"

November 2023: Der Spiegel

How love works in threes, fours or fives


In the US city of Somerville, many polyamorous people live and love in new relationship models. Here, three households talk about their everyday lives between freedom and scheduling, cohesion and jealousy.   

October 2023: Psychology Today

Death Planning for Queer Families


CFLC Executive Director Diana Adams says that the most critical thing for diverse families to do to prepare for the death of a family member is:  "Have vulnerable conversations with our loved ones about who we would want to make medical decisions if in a health crisis or end of life, as well as preparing for the care and financial support of loved ones after we pass, and execute legal paperwork, including advance medical directives and a will to get these intentions in writing to provide your family with the security they deserve." Because cost is a significant barrier for many diverse families, the CFLC provides a range of pro bono documentation services and uses donations to subsidize the legal expenses of poor and working-class chosen families.

October 2023: Globe Asahi Shimbun

https://globe.asahi.com/article/15024306

All families are not the same. Three or four parents? Family shapes are expanding in America


Diana Adams was interviewed and featured in this article for one of Japan's largest newspapers.

In the United States, there are states that allow three adults to have equal custody of a child. How widespread is the ``three-person parent'' trend? How have families changed and what will they become? We spoke to Diana Adams, a lawyer and founder of the Chosen Family Law Center (New York), a nonprofit organization that promotes family diversity. 

October 2023 - Above The Law

Legal Recognition Of 3-Plus-Parent Families Slowly Expanding


Many families looking for legal recognition of more than two parents do not involve polyamory.

 

Is multi-partner recognition and multi-parent recognition a very different thing? According to attorney Diana Adams of the Chosen Family Law Center, and a key force behind the Somerville Ordinance, maybe not. In their TEDTalk, Adams argues that research has consistently shown that children need the stability of parental figures, but that a child’s stability does not necessarily come from one mom and one dad. They argue that laws that don’t meet family structures where they are — whether that’s unmarried platonic co-parents, or a triad or quad of parents — punish the children of those family structures.

July 2023: Vanity Fair

CFLC Board Member Caroline Giuliani wrote this beautifully comprehensive piece for Vanity Fair in July 2023  highlighting the work of CFLC and others in the movement to destigmatize polyamory and establish rights+protections for poly families:


Love, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Polyamory: A Look Under the Covers of Nonmonogamy and Its Burgeoning Civil Rights Battle

Diana Adams: European Parliament, June 2023

Watch our Executive Director Diana Adams address European Parliament in Madrid


Diana Adams was invited to present in-person at the Madrid Summit's International Conference on Human Rights, hosted by the European Parliament and EU Human Rights Commission in Madrid (Summer 2023). 


They spoke during a panel called "Legal Tools & Strategic Litigation for Protecting LGBTQIA+ Rights."


Click HERE to watch their talk, which starts at 5:31:30.

June 2023 - Family of Choice with Esther Perel

 Map your constellation of care. Who matters in your life today? Who is there for you? For whom are you there?

Family is comprised of people who are committed to be there for you no matter what—bonded in ways that transcend circumstance, geography, and convenience. Often those people are our relatives, other times they are our friends and sometimes they are a combination of both. In this Esther Perel Sessions Interview with Diana Adams, they discuss the concept of family of choice—the individuals around you with whom you have lifelong committed mutual support. Those who provide you with a sense of belonging. 


 WATCH HERE.

June 2023 - Solo with Peter McGraw

Peter McGraw speaks to Diana Adams, the founder of the Chosen Family Law Center, Inc. and boutique LGBTQ family law and mediation firm Diana Adams Law & Mediation, PLLC. Both organizations serve primarily same-sex couples and non-nuclear families. Diana’s incredible TED talk “Why US laws must expand beyond the nuclear family” serves as the basis for the conversation. They suggest that, although the nuclear family model may no longer be the norm in the US. It’s still the basis for social and economic benefits like health care, tax breaks, and citizenship. Diana contends that all families, regardless of biological relationship or legal marriage, are deserving of equal legal rights and recognition.  Peter and Diana have a wide-ranging conversation that includes how Solos are affected by these laws – and present a call to action for aging Solos. 


LISTEN HERE

May 2023 - New York Times

May 2023 - With Love and Justice for All

Interested in Polyamory? Check Out These Places

Laws granting rights to people in polyamorous relationships are being recognized in more cities. 


"In late March, Somerville passed two more laws extending the rights of nonmonogamous residents, this time banning discrimination on the basis of “family or relationship structure” in city employment and policing . . .  After Somerville passed its domestic partnership law, Arlington and Cambridge, two other cities in Massachusetts, added polyamorous units to their existing domestic partnership ordinances. But once people register as domestic partners there, benefits may extend beyond Massachusetts as well: “So people around the country are able to come get registered and go home to generally use it as they would any other domestic partnership they registered for in their home city or anywhere,” Diana Adams, executive director of Chosen Family Law Center."  

May 2023 - With Love and Justice for All

May 2023 - With Love and Justice for All

CFLC Senior Legal Director Andy Izenson was a guest of the With Love and Justice For All podcast on May 16, 2023 to discuss the

Polyamory Legal Advocacy Coalition.  


"Last month, Somerville, MA became the first city in the United States to extend legal protections against discrimination to people in polyamorous relationships and other nontraditional family structures. We talk with lawyers Heron Greenesmith and Andy Izenson from The Polyamory Legal Advocacy Coalition (PLAC) who were both instrumental in the passage of the ordinances."  


Listen here.

March 2023 - Boston Globe

Somerville celebrates another first for polyamorous people


"The Massachusetts-based Polyamory Legal Advocacy Coalition helped draft the language for the legislation in these communities . . . Adams, whose New York City-based organization oversees the Polyamory Legal Advocacy Coalition, said the legislation will have a ripple effect . . .Adams said policies on a municipal level can be the start of big change. That was one of the lessons of the same-sex partnership movement, they said; that once you can put your partner and family on paper, “that really helps change social attitudes.”

March 2023 - INSIDER

2 married couples divorced so they could become a polyamorous foursome 


"These kinds of laws create a mindset shift" in communities, workplaces, and families, Diana Adams, Wright's lawyer and the executive director of the Chosen Family Law Center, told Insider. "It's a seal of approval from the government that this is something that's legitimate and should be respected."  

January 2023 - The Economist

November 2022 - New Legacy Radio

January 2023 - New York Times

Polyamory is getting slivers of legal recognition in America 


"...In October they held a commitment ceremony resembling a wedding …The arrangement has no legal weight as a marriage: every state bans bigamy or polygamy. So they signed a “no-nup”: a contract outlining alimony and child-care responsibilities in the event of a break-up or death among partners who were never legally married. Their lawyer, Diana Adams, notarised it with a “lovely stamp that goes ker-chunk”.  

January 2023 - New York Times

November 2022 - New Legacy Radio

January 2023 - New York Times

Defining Nonbinary Work Wear


Andy Izenson, 34, the senior legal director of the Chosen Family Law Center in New York City, primarily considers the needs of clients when dressing for work.

November 2022 - New Legacy Radio

November 2022 - New Legacy Radio

Chosen Family: When Policies Don’t Include or Protect Us All

People without children, those who are single, and diverse families remain excluded from status quo economic and family policies. Further, economic models that drive the social status quo, force policies that are neither inclusive, nor do they meet the realities of the population. The needs of households for individuals and relationships, which include chosen family require the same level of rights and protection granted to traditional family structures and households. What can we do to advocate for policy that reflects inclusive and equitable needs for our communities?


Listen to the interview with Diana Adams or read the transcript here:

https://newlegacyinstitute.com/chosen-family-when-policies-dont-include-or-protect-us-all-guest-diana-adams

December 2022 - Washington Post






“LGBTQ people respond to Respect for Marriage Act”


"Is it perfect?  No."


Diana Adams shares concerns about Respect for Marriage Act passed in Nov 2022 - a necessary stop gap but dangerous potential expansion of religious freedom exemptions to marriage. Civil rights shouldn't have exemptions. 


Note that this article is behind a paywall.



April 2022 - TED Radio Hour





How can we provide better care for non-traditional families?


For LGBTQIA and non-nuclear families, navigating the legal system and family benefits is difficult. Attorney Diana Adams says we need more inclusive laws that cater to all chosen families.



March 2022 - Harvard Law Review

Three’s Company, Too: The Emergence of Polyamorous Partnership Ordinances


This Harvard Law Review piece includes 186 footnotes in the discussion of CFLC and PLAC's work in Massachusetts to expand the legal definition of family under the law and the legal strategies employed, with the conclusion that "Although domestic partnership ordinances like those in Somerville and Cambridge by no means represent the only option to decrease discrimination and stigma against CNM partners, they advance these objectives. Ordinances recognizing diverse relationship statuses also serve practical purposes such as improving outcomes in family law and healthcare. In fighting for access to domestic partnerships, advocates may change the way that courts, legislatures, and the broader public understand CNM." 

March 2021 - The New Yorker

 "How Polyamorists and Polygamists Are Challenging Family Norms"


From opposite sides of the culture, parallel campaigns for legal recognition may soon make multiple-partner marriages as unremarkable as same-sex marriages. 


This New Yorker article by Andrew Solomon features our Senior Legal Director Andy Izenson and their family.

October 2020 - Good Morning America

3-parent families are the new modern families


Diana Adams was interviewed on GMA about protecting kids by creating stable legal connection between them & their parents, even if those parents are third non-biological parents.

September 2020 - The Atlantic

The Rise of the 3-Parent Family


"Diana Adams, the founder of Chosen Family Law Center, says that interest in this option has been growing over the past 15 years, spurred by the increasing acceptance of queer families and the popularity of assisted-reproduction technologies...  

 

Just as marriage provides benefits that cohabitation doesn’t, legal tri-parenting creates stability and rights that less formal arrangements lack. According to Adams, in tri-parenting arrangements that aren’t legally recognized, a break between the two legal parents might mean that the third parent can be denied access or custody to the child, even if they’ve always been an important and beloved part of the child’s life . . . For Adams, tri-parenting is a way of reclaiming the “diversity and beauty of the queer community.” When it comes to queer rights, the big fight of past decades has been to legalize gay marriage, which has been significant, but has also played into the narrative that the two-parent family is and should be the default structure. “That has taken away some of the power of being able to live radically queer lives without needing to fit into a capitalist, patriarchal structure of a nuclear family.” 

July 2020 - Psychology Today

July 2020 - Psychology Today

Legal Protections for People in Polyamorous Relationships  

"During her decades serving as a legal advocate for families of sex and gender minorities, Adams has witnessed what the lack of legal protections can do to families who are left vulnerable to stigma and discrimination. “All families deserve the support of legal stability and recognition, including the many polyamorous partners among our clients and communities. 

Many in polyamorous relationships will now benefit from health insurance coverage through their partners, which is essential especially in these times of COVID-19. Ultimately, we shouldn't need to depend upon our employers or relationships for health insurance, but while that is our American system, those in polyamorous relationships shouldn't lack health insurance coverage because some disapprove of their relationship configuration.”

While this small step towards legal protection is enforceable only within a highly localized area, it is nevertheless significant. When cities enact ordinances such as these at the local level, it can serve to inspire others to consider and perhaps even craft similar protections of their citizens. Adams concludes, “At Chosen Family Law Center, we plan to introduce similar domestic partnership ordinances in progressive cities, and welcome local advocates to get in touch for support and collaboration. Somerville is just the beginning of a movement for partnership protections for polyamorous and multi-parent families.” 

July 1, 2020: New York Times

A Massachusetts City Decides to Recognize Polyamorous Relationships


The city of Somerville has broadened the definition of domestic partnership to include relationships between three or more adults, expanding access to health care.

"Andy Izenson, a lawyer with the Chosen Family Law Center, a nonprofit organization that provides legal services to polyamorous and other nontraditional families, said the ordinance could be put to a judicial test if health insurance companies reject the city’s more expansive definition of domestic partnership. It could also run into resistance from conservatives, as same-sex marriage did in 2015.  Or it could, as he put it, “fly under the radar . . .When one area does it, and it serves as a test case, and legislators see that the town or county has not had a culture war implosion,” he said, “that’s how things spread.”  

7/7/2020 Vietnam Times: Polyamory - New trend of the US families

 https://vietnamtimes.org.vn/polyamory-new-trend-of-the-us-families-22073.html


Andy Izenson, a lawyer at Chosen Family Law Center, a nonprofit organization that provides legal services to polyamorous and other nontraditional families, said the ordinance could be put to a judicial test if health insurance companies reject the city’s more expansive definition of domestic partnership. It could also run into resistance from conservatives, as same-sex marriage did in 2015, according to New York Times.  

CBS News 7/3/2020: Massachusetts city officially recognizes polyamorous relationships

IBT 7/3/2020: Massachusetts City Council Unanimously Approves Polyamory In Domestic Partnerships

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/somerville-massachusetts-recognizes-polyamorous-relationships/


Andy Izenson, senior legal director of Chosen Family Law Center in New York, told the Journal that Somerville's ordinance is a step in the right direction.

 

"I think it's pretty amazing — strategies like this are the best chance we have of moving towards a legal understanding of family that's as comprehensive as it needs to be to serve all families," Izenson said. 


"I've seen a few other small-scale or local entities that have taken steps towards recognizing that relationships between adults are not only between two adults, but this is the first time I have seen this strategy brought to fruition."


IBT 7/3/2020: Massachusetts City Council Unanimously Approves Polyamory In Domestic Partnerships

IBT 7/3/2020: Massachusetts City Council Unanimously Approves Polyamory In Domestic Partnerships

https://www.ibtimes.com/massachusetts-city-council-unanimously-approves-polyamory-domestic-partnerships-3005273

 

Unmarried partners commonly run into legal problems because there is no legal framework to protect their rights. Chosen Family Law Center director Andy Izenson hailed Sommerville's ordinance.


"I think it's pretty amazing — strategies like this are the best chance we have of moving towards a legal understanding of family that's as comprehensive as it needs to be to serve all families," Izenson said.

USA Today 7/3/2020: A US first? Massachusetts city votes to recognize polyamorous relationships

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/02/polyamory-massachusetts-city-somerville-relationships-us/5370718002/

 

Chosen Family Law Center's Senior Legal Director Andy Izenson told the Journal that he had never seen any town adopt such a broad policy.


“I think it’s pretty amazing – strategies like this are the best chance we have of moving towards a legal understanding of family that’s as comprehensive as it needs to be to serve all families,” Izenson said. “I’ve seen a few other small-scale or local entities that have taken steps towards recognizing that relationships between adults are not only between two adults, but this is the first time I have seen this strategy brought to fruition.”

Boston News 7/2/2020: Somerville votes to officially recognize polyamorous relationships

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2020/07/02/somerville-votes-to-officially-recognize-polyamorous-relationships

 

Andy Izenson, a lawyer with the Chosen Family Law Center, a nonprofit organization that provides legal services to polyamorous families, said the ordinance could be put to a judicial test if health insurance companies reject the city’s more expansive definition of domestic partnership. It could also run into resistance from conservatives, as same-sex marriage did in 2015. 


Or it could, as he put it, “fly under the radar.”

“When one area does it, and it serves as a test case, and legislators see that the town or county has not had a culture war implosion,” he said, “that’s how things spread.”

WGBH 7/2/2020:Somerville Recognizes Polyamorous And Other Multiple-Adult Families

Boston Globe 7/2/2020: Somerville’s new polyamory-friendly policy a ‘turning point'

https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2020/07/02/somerville-recognizes-polyamorous-and-other-multiple-adult-families


“The first civil unions were a really exciting turning point for people in same-sex couples,” she said. “And we’re now at that moment this week with polyamorous couples and other multi-adult families.”


Beyond being a step toward acceptance, it’s tough to know what the Somerville ordinance will mean from a legal standpoint for multiple-partner families, she said.


“This would define domestic partnership and extend rights that are similar to marriage just within Somerville, Massachusetts — which is fairly limited,” she said.


For example, Adams said city employees should now be able to extend health benefits to multiple domestic partners, but it’s unclear whether a private employer in Somerville would have to do the same.


Nevertheless, Adams said she believes this will be the start of a trend, and suspects other municipalities will soon follow Somerville’s lead.

Boston Globe 7/2/2020: Somerville’s new polyamory-friendly policy a ‘turning point'

Boston Globe 7/2/2020: Somerville’s new polyamory-friendly policy a ‘turning point'

 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/07/02/metro/somervilles-polyamory-ordinance-is-first-nation/


“The Somerville ordinance is an exciting turning point for people who are polyamorous or in multipartner families,” said Diana Adams, the executive director of the Chosen Family Law Center in New York. “There has been tremendous momentum and energy and hope for this for many years.”

Boston Herald 7/2/2020: Somerville approves polyamorous relationship policy

https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/07/02/somerville-approves-polyamorous-relationship-policy-more-than-two-people-can-be-in-official-domestic-partnership/


“This has done something really amazing in the discourse of family relationships, and the possibilities that it has opened up,” said Andy Izenson of the Chosen Family Law Center, adding that the approved Somerville policy is the first such one to pass in the country.


“It’s really exciting,” Izenson said. “It’s the bottom-up community work like this that creates genuine social change and acceptance

Wicked Local 7/1/2020: Somerville recognizes polyamorous domestic partnerships

https://somerville.wickedlocal.com/news/20200701/somerville-recognizes-polyamorous-domestic-partnerships  


"It’s the first time that family law attorney Andy Izenson has seen a municipality do anything like this. 'I think it’s pretty amazing – strategies like this are the best chance we have of moving towards a legal understanding of family that’s as comprehensive as it needs to be to serve all families,” said Izenson. “I’ve seen a few other small-scale or local entities that have taken steps towards recognizing that relationships between adults are not only between two adults, but this is the first time I have seen this strategy brought to fruition.'


Izenson noted states recognizing third-parent adoptions as action that is close to offering broader rights to families, but pointed out that most gains in “marriage equality” have all been carefully defined as between two people.


'. . .There are two kinds of legal advocacy: the bottom-up kind and the top-down kind,” they said. “Top-down meaning law that comes from the Supreme Court...which, in terms of day-to-day life is more reflective of culture change than leading the way. This type of bottom-up work – local people making policy regarding their neighbors – that’s the sort of thing that’s not only reflective of a culture shift, but a shift towards acceptance and support of a broader variety of families.'” 

October 2019: CBS News

October 2019: CBS News

In October 2019, Diana Adams was interviewed about our legal practice as part of a CBSN Originals 23-minute documentary on consensually non-monogamous partnerships and families: Speaking Frankly: Non-monogamy.  


Following that, Diana had a one-on-one interview with CBS news anchor Tanya Rivero to more fully discuss the challenges for non-monogamous and LGBTQ+ families, including child custody, immigration and health insurance. 


You can view that interview here: Diana Adams on “Legal Hurdles in Non-Monogamous Relationships”

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