ALL OF US – Mobilising for rainbow families

ALL OF US believe that love makes a family, and that everyone should be able to fully enjoy the right to respect for family life without discrimination;

ALL OF US believe that all LGBTI persons should have a legal and accessible path to parenthood without discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity;

ALL OF US believe that if Member States permit assisted reproduction technologies this should be available without discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation;

ALL of US welcome that LGBTI families are now partly covered by the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights which states that same sex-couples living in a stable relationship are to be considered as “family” and cannot be excluded from rights granted to de facto cohabitants, including in cases of adoption;

ALL OF US recognise that the definition of substantive family legal norms is a national competence. However several pieces of EU legislation impact on families’ rights of EU citizens and residents, mainly the Free Movement Directive and the Family Reunification Directive;

ALL OF US are concerned by the fact that, while moving within the EU, existing marriages and recognized civil partnerships of LGBTI persons are dissolved at the national borders, leaving families (including children) in uncertainty about their legal situation;

ALL OF US therefore call for the mutual recognition and free circulation of civil status documents of all individuals, couples and families (established through marriage or registered civil partnership, including adoption and birth certificates) regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity in order to ensure their right to move and reside freely and to access benefits and services in the Member State of destiny;

ALL OF US call on all Member States to adopt the EU regulations on property regimes of international married couples and international couples in registered partnerships, and to ensure its application without discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation;

ALL OF US believe that legislation alone does not change society. We see the urgent need for a cultural shift in society to ensure that genuine equality becomes a reality in everybody’s life;

ALL OF US therefore call for educational measures and media and awareness campaigns to combat gender stereotypes and improve social acceptance of LGBTI in daily life, in particular at school, sport and work;

ALL OF US urge Member States to work to adopt, as a matter of urgency, the proposed Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, including by clarifying the scope and associated costs of its provisions which is key to guaranteeing genuine equality and combating discrimination.