Hospital intake forms that ask for Mother and Father remain a daily frustration for LGBTQ+ families, despite progress in some states. The nonbiological parent often faces legal invisibility, requiring paperwork like second-parent adoption to be recognized. Advocacy groups like GLMA recommend replacing Mother/Father with Parent 1/Parent 2 fields.
The Nonbiological-Parent Problem
For biological parents, the form is an annoyance; for nonbiological parents, it can be frightening. Without proper legal documentation, they are functionally nobody in the hospital's eyes. A parent who has attended every appointment may still be asked by a nurse, 'What is your relationship to the patient?'
Progress Is Uneven
Following a 2017 Supreme Court ruling, all states must list married same-sex parents on birth certificates. States like California, New York, and Vermont extend protections to nonbinary and unmarried parents. However, well-funded urban hospitals are more likely to have updated forms than rural clinics, leaving families with fewer resources to face outdated systems.
What Needs to Change
The fix is straightforward: replace Mother/Father with 'Legal Guardian 1' and 'Legal Guardian 2 (if applicable).' GLMA's culturally responsive care guidelines already outline this. But changing the form alone isn't enough—staff training must follow to ensure both parents are addressed without hesitation.
As one parent noted, 'We both are' is the best response to elicit no follow-up questions. The goal is for LGBTQ+ families to be assumed into existence, not treated as an afterthought.
