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Calif. Bill to Recognize More Than Two Parents Upsets Right-Wingers

Calif. Bill to Recognize More Than Two Parents Upsets Right-Wingers

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Sponsor Mark Leno and supporters say such a law would benefit children, but the right wing sees it as 'absurd.'

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Supporters of a California bill that would allow children to have more than two legally recognized parents say it would benefit kids, but social conservatives see it as a radical redefinition of family.

State senator Mark Leno of San Francisco has proposed the measure, S.B. 1476, which would allow three or more people to be recognized as parents. It would apply equally to men and women and to gay and straight couples.

The Sacramento Bee offers examples of parenting arrangements that the bill would make legal, such as a lesbian couple who had a male friend help them conceive a child and want him to be involved in the child's upbringing, or a mother and stepfather who are a child's legal parents but want to allow the biological father parental status as well.

"Designating multiple parents in such cases could enhance the child's prospects for financial support, health insurance or Social Security benefits, thus reducing the state's potential financial responsibility, supporters say," according to the Bee. The paper also notes that the bill "is not meant to expand the definition of who can qualify as a parent, only to eliminate the limit of two per child."

Leno explained, "The bill brings California into the 21st century, recognizing that there are more than Ozzie and Harriet families today."

The Traditional Values Coalition, an ultra-right-wing group, objects strenuously to the pending bill. It is an effort to "revamp, redefine and muddy the waters" of the nature of family by Leno, a supporter of same-sex marriage rights, says Benjamin Lopez, a legislative analyst for the group. (Leno happens to be gay.) "It comes as no surprise that he would try to say that a child has more than two parents -- that's absurd," said Lopez.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.