As threats to LGBTQ+ people escalate across the country, the Senate today unanimously voted to pass a bill to make confirmatory adoption more accessible for LGBTQ+ families

Today the Rhode Island Senate voted unanimously to pass S 0121, a bill that will streamline the process for confirmatory adoption and make it more accessible for LGBTQ+ parents to ensure security for their families through adoption. A companion bill, H 5226, is under consideration in the House.

As LGBTQ+ families are under attack around the country today the Rhode Island Senate affirmed once again that love makes a family,” said lead sponsor Senator Dawn Euer. “I’m grateful to my Senate colleagues for unanimously supporting the confirmatory adoption legislation on the floor today.

“Today’s unanimous Senate vote is an incredible demonstration of Rhode Island’s commitment to protecting children and families and ensuring equality for LGBTQ+ people. I’m grateful to Senator Euer for her leadership and to each of the Senators who understood the urgency and importance of advancing this bill,” said Polly Crozier, Director of Family Advocacy at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. “With extremists escalating their attacks on LGBTQ+ people across the country, parents are more worried than ever about the safety of their children. An adoption decree provides additional security for children, particularly if families travel or move outside Rhode Island. S 0121 will remove needless barriers to adoption for LGBTQ+ people who seek to confirm their parentage.”

While Rhode Island is a leader in protections for LGBTQ+ families and has clear paths to establish legal parentage under the Uniform Parentage Act, passed in 2020, confirmatory adoption is an important next step – particularly given the startling increase in attacks nationwide on LGBTQ+ people. Many Rhode Islanders seek an adoption decree as additional security – it is a court judgment that ensures recognition of parentage in all states. S 0121 ensures that LGBTQ+ parents – who are already legal parents under Rhode Island law – can easily access an adoption decree to provide that additional security for their children to protect them from bias and discrimination across the country.

S 0121 was introduced by Senators Euer, Murray, Mack, Pearson, Kallman, LaMountain, Lauria, McKenney, Acosta, and Miller.

H 5226 was introduced by Representatives Kislak, Shekarchi, McEntee, Kazarian, Edwards, Craven, Caldwell, Vella-Wilkinson, Batista, and Ajello.

Learn more: Fact sheet