2019: Top Five PR Moments for Family Equality

Dec 30

Thanks to our great team and all the powerful work they do for LGBTQ+ families nationwide, we've been able to significantly expand Family Equality's media footprint in 2019.

In addition to appreciating my colleagues at Family Equality, I'm also grateful to all the reporters who added us to their contact lists as the leading source of information on today's growing generation of LGBTQ-headed families. Telling carefully researched stories about LGBTQ+ families and paths to parenthood takes time, so to all those journalists we worked with to get it just right, thank you!

USA Today: "LGBTQ families are on the cusp of dramatic growth, and millennials lead the way"

Feb 7, 2019 / Susan Miller — *Feb 7, 2019 /* *Susan Miller*

At the start of 2019, Family Equality released findings from a groundbreaking new study of LGBTQ+ people about family building and paths to parenthood. We launched coverage with an exclusive report from USA Today, which landed a cover story spot in the print edition too. Identifying a significant gap in the data landscape around LGBTQ+ families and publishing research to fill that gap was a key strategy underlying media coverage growth for Family Equality in 2019. Read the story →

The Washington Post: "Administration seeks to fund religious foster-care groups that reject LGBTQ parents"

Feb 8, 2019 / Ariana Eunjung Cha — *Feb 8, 2019 /* *Ariana Eunjung Cha*

Just a day later, as the USA Today story seeded more coverage of the family building study, Family Equality's policy team helped The Washington Post break a story about plans to allow discrimination in the child welfare system: a threat that continued to grow through 2019. Read the story →

Parents Magazine: "The LGBTQ Community's Struggle for Paid Parental Leave is Very Real"

Nov 1, 2019 / Anna Halkidis — *Nov 1, 2019 /* *Anna Halkidis*

Skipping ahead to later in the year, this story from Parents Magazine is a good example of helping mainstream, parent-focused media succeed in including LGBTQ+ families in their content. This story about paid parental leave is part of a broader content shift that followed Parents' decision to feature a same-sex couple on the magazine's cover for the first time in February of this year. Read the story →

The New York Times: "Adoption Groups Could Turn Away L.G.B.T. Families Under Proposed Rule"

Nov 2, 2019 / Derrick Bryson Taylor — Nov 2, 2019 / Derrick Bryson Taylor

After the Trump Administration released a proposed rule creating a nationwide license to discriminate in HHS-funded programs, we helped The New York Times develop coverage of this breaking story and the potential impact on LGBTQ+ children and families. Read the story →

NBC News: "More LGBTQ millennials plan to have kids regardless of income, survey finds"

Dec 27, 2019 / Julie Compton — *Dec 27, 2019 /* *Julie Compton*

We closed out the year with another detailed story based on Family Equality's original research about LGBTQ+ family building. This story from NBC News focused on the financial challenges faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community who are trying to map out a path to parenthood, and includes some great snapshots from community members who were willing to share details of their personal journeys from across the country. Read the story →

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Thanks again to all the journalists and sources we worked with 2019, both those listed here and everyone else too. Onward to 2020 ...

(Originally published on LinkedIn)

Ed Harris

I'm a digital communications professional with experience working both for local and national nonprofits and for small and mid-sized businesses. I run Blue Hills Digital, a digital marketing agency based in Portland, OR specializing in helping nonprofits and small businesses develop and implement marketing strategy to meet their goals.

We focus on website builds and migrations on Squarespace, SEO, conversion optimization, and digital strategy.

https://www.bluehillsdigital.com