Liverpool Pride will take place this Saturday 27th July.  This is a time for the people of Liverpool, Wirral and surrounding areas to celebrate all that is LGBT+ with Pride in Liverpool – Come as You Are.

Haley Farrell, Deputy Managing Director at Jackson Lees Group comments:

Pride in Liverpool is an excellent event that aims to increase the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community, challenge prejudice and promote equality, through the celebration of friendship, love and respect. These values are at the core of our family here at Jackson Lees and we will have a stall at the event on Saturday – do please pop along to see us in Exchange Station to say hello!

Whilst people’s attitudes are changing for the better, we must not forget the struggles that much of the LGBTQ+ community still face in the UK and worldwide. It is easy to accept that globally, society still has far to come. Sadly, countries such as Indonesia do not recognise same-sex marriage and many other countries such as Bulgaria have placed a constitutional ban on equal marriage.

LGBTQ+ families are no different from the ‘traditional family’ with a mum and dad, and can encounter the same family law problems. There are many ways in which same-sex couples can raise a family together, and it is important that parents are aware of whether they have parental responsibility for a child of the family. A child will usually have only two legal parents, and in some instances can have up to three. Only parents are entitled to make an application to the court concerning their child, although other relatives are able to ask the court for permission to apply for certain orders. For example, grandparents may be allowed to make an application to the court for an order which provides that they can spend time with the child.

So, does being a legal parent mean that you automatically have parental responsibility?

Parental responsibility is a term that describes the rights and duties that a person has for a child. It is not limited to the child’s parents and a number of individuals can share parental responsibility for a child, including anybody who obtains a child arrangements order that the child is to live with them, or by way of agreement or court order. Those with parental responsibility have a right to have an input in significant decisions about the way in which a child is raised, for example, where the child goes to school. Birth mothers automatically have parental responsibility for a child by virtue of having given birth to the child, even where the child is not biologically hers i.e. through artificial insemination. However, this parental responsibility can be removed from the birth mother and given to another individual following adoption or surrogacy.

We must continue to push forward by opposing the archaic attitudes that some in the LGBT+ community still face when accessing professional services. Here at Jackson Lees we treat our LGBT+ clients with unwavering respect and empathy. If you are in the middle of a relationship break down, family dispute or want some clarity with regards to where you stand in your child’s life, our team are more than happy to help.

If you would like to talk to one of our specialist family law advisers, please call us on 0151 625 9364 , request a callback at your convenience or email us your enquiry.