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We are very disappointed in the House vote to send the Rhode Island Parentage Act (RIPA) to a study commission. Rhode Island children and families need security and legal protections now.

The RIPA is based on nonpartisan model legislation that reflects detailed study and best practices. The engaged group of family law experts and community members that worked on this bill took care to adapt it to Rhode Island’s needs. The Family Court was invited to participate in that process and provide input. When limited comments were shared in April they were addressed. Thereafter, the Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill. We have stood and continue to stand willing to engage with the Family Court.

There is widespread support for this legislation, including from the Rhode Island Department of Health, Division of Vital Records and the Department of Human Services through the Office of Child Support Services, as well as in the Senate, which have all understood the urgency of updating Rhode Island’s parentage laws. There has been no public opposition raised at all until the eleventh hour. Meanwhile, LGBTQ families are receiving disparate and unequal treatment in our family courts, and children born from assisted reproduction and surrogacy have no clear path to legal parentage. For the best interest of children, we must remedy that as soon as possible. We hope the Chief Judge will engage going forward to ensure our laws and our courts protect all families – including LGBTQ families.

We cannot turn away from our collective obligation to ensure Rhode Island parentage law is constitutional and works for all families that exist right now across the state.

We cannot leave Rhode Island’s children vulnerable.

Parents and Advocates Urge House Speaker to Pass H-5707 to Modernize Outdated Parentage Laws

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RI urgently needs to update our parentage laws which haven’t changed since the 1970’s. The Senate unanimously passed the Parentage Act; parents and community advocates are pressing the Speaker to bring it to the floor for a vote

Providence, RI – Parents, community advocates, child welfare experts, and family law attorneys all agree about the urgent need to modernize Rhode Island’s parentage statutes, which were last updated in the 1970s. After compelling testimony in the House and Senate, there was overwhelming support in both bodies for the Rhode Island Parentage Act. The Senate passed the bill, sponsored in that chamber by Senate Judiciary Chair Lynch-Prata, unanimously on June 6. We urge the Speaker to bring H-5707, sponsored by Rep McEntee, to the floor so the House of Representatives can pass this much needed piece of legislation. We can no longer discriminate in parentage law based on sexual orientation and gender identity, or based on the ways in which families are formed.

During the hearings before the Judiciary Committees of the House and Senate, parents shared personal, at times painful, stories about the devastating impact of current law on their children and families, and urged legislators to adopt common-sense updates to the state’s parentage laws.

RI parent Sara Watson told the committees about the fear and uncertainty she experienced in the hospital after her partner Anna gave birth to their son. “I was holding our newborn in my arms and I realized that, on paper, I was completely invisible. I had no way to establish my legal relationship to our son,” she said. “I worried that if something had happened to Anna, I wouldn’t even be able to take him home from the hospital.”

The proposed Rhode Island Parentage Act (RIPA), which clarifies who can be a parent and how to establish parentage, would enable families like Sara’s to access legal parentage immediately after birth. The RIPA would modernize Rhode Island’s outdated laws to ensure that all children have access to legal parentage and are protected immediately. It would also ensure that Rhode Island’s laws are fair and constitutional for all Rhode Island families.

“Having a secure, legal connection to their parents as soon after birth as possible is critical to children’s financial security and emotional well-being,” said Polly Crozier, Senior Staff Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. “Rhode Island needs a comprehensive modernization of its parentage laws. Among many critical gaps, Rhode Island is the only state in New England lacking any protections for children born through assisted reproductive technology and for children born through surrogacy, leaving children vulnerable. We need to do better for all Rhode Island families.”

Existing law also places unnecessary, expensive, anxiety-producing and often humiliating burdens on LGBTQ parents, who are essentially forced to adopt their own children. This includes a six-month waiting period, an invasive home study, a requirement to advertise for anonymous sperm donors, and the need for a lawyer.

The RIPA establishes clear paths to parentage in Rhode Island that reflect the many ways contemporary families are formed. The bill is based on the 2017 Uniform Parentage Act (UPA), a model, non-partisan, uniform law that advises all states to ensure that their parentage statutes apply equally to LGBTQ families, among other suggested updates.

“Rhode Islanders deserve laws that reflect and protect the range of families that exist in our state today,” said Denise Crooks, a parent and representative of LGBTQ Action RI. “For children who are born through assisted reproductive technology, we need a streamlined process to legally secure their relationship to their parents. As a parent of donor-conceived children, my greatest wish is to keep my family secure, the same as any parent.”

Overwhelming support for RIPA has been articulated by experts and advocates including LGBTQ Action RI, GLAD, Adoption RI, the ACLU of RI, Resolve NE, NASW-RI, the Rhode Island Department of Human Services/Office of Child Support Services, the Rhode Island Department of Health/Division of Vital Records, and numerous family court lawyers.

We urge Speaker Mattiello to bring the Rhode Island Parentage Act to the floor to create a clear, fair and secure path of parentage for all Rhode Island families, and to end discrimination in Rhode Island laws.

For more information and an additional list of supporters, read the fact sheet on S0789/H5707, the Rhode Island Parentage Act.

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On May 24, the Trump Administration announced a new proposed rule that would change the interpretation of the Affordable Care Act’s nondiscrimination provision to no longer include LGBTQ people.

It is alarming that the Trump administration is leveling yet another attack on the rights of LGBTQ people.

But, there are a couple of important things to note:

First, this is only the announcement of a proposed rule change. Nothing is changing right now.

The next step is a required period for public comment, which means we can all weigh in with our concerns about this proposal, and we encourage you to do so. We won’t know for sure what the final rule will look like until that public comment period is over.

If you’d like to take action, visit www.protecttranshealth.org to add your comment on why you oppose this proposed rule.

Second, no matter what the final rule says, the Trump administration cannot change the law on a whim.

Federal law has been interpreted by multiple federal courts to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people, in cases that apply in the health care context. Those decisions are controlling; the meaning and scope of federal protections ultimately turns on federal court interpretation, not that of the administration.

We also have strong state laws and regulations across New England that protect you from discrimination and protect your right to access health care. The proposed federal rule change does not alter those state laws. Contact us at www.GLADAnswers.org if you need more information.

The bottom line is that nothing is changing right now, and you still have rights to nondiscriminatory health care – but the Trump administration is working to make it harder for you to enforce those rights.

GLAD will be closely monitoring developments, and if you think you are being treated differently, or are experiencing discrimination, please contact us right away.

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Whether in your family it’s Mother’s Day, Mothers’ Day, Parent Day – or something completely different – today is a day when many people celebrate the parents in their lives and honor the hard and loving work of raising children.

Thousands of LGBTQ people are raising children across the country. And while we’ve made great strides, – securing access to co-parent adoptions, ending barriers to LGBTQ people becoming foster and adoptive parents, and winning the freedom to marry for those who choose it, too many LGBTQ families remain vulnerable. In most states across the country, laws defining who can be a parent have not been updated since the 1970s – but the ways in which people form families, whether LGBTQ or not, have changed substantially.

There is a real and urgent need to act to protect LGBTQ families and their children.

This session the Rhode Island legislature in considering two bills that would provide critical security for LGBTQ families – by clarifying paths to parentage and streamlining the co-parent adoption process so it is less burdensome and expensive.

For instance, no law currently exists at all in Rhode Island to determine parentage for families – whether headed by a same-gender or different gender couple – that are formed using assisted reproduction technology. This puts parents and children in an incredibly precarious position.

Sara, a Rhode Island parent who is among those advocating for more fair and inclusive parentage laws in her state, spoke out about the fear and uncertainty she felt after her partner Anna gave birth to their child: “I was holding our newborn in my arms and I realized that, on paper, I was completely invisible. I had no way to establish my legal relationship to our son. I worried that if something had happened to Anna, I wouldn’t even be able to take him home from the hospital.”

Because they were unmarried, Sara had no legal connection to their son at birth. It took eight months – and completing a co-parent adoption – to protect her relationship with her son which, for different-sex couples, can be established in the hospital by signing one simple form, the Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage (VAP).

And while adoption is an existing avenue for non-birth parents to secure a legal relationship to their children, the current adoption process is expensive, time-consuming and intrusive. Some of the unexpected hurdles Rhode Island parents encounter when seeking to adopt their own children include invasive interviews and home visits, as well as a requirement to post an advertisement in the local newspaper announcing the intended adoption.

But through the hard work and advocacy of parents like Sara and Anna, hope for change is on the horizon.

The Confirmatory Adoption Act will remove unnecessary and intrusive burdens in the co-parent adoption process. The Rhode Island Parentage Act will fill critical gaps in Rhode Island family law – including defining paths to parentage and providing access to the VAP for same-gender couples like Sara and Anna The VAP, a nationally recognized form, is a simple way to establish a second parent’s legal rights and is readily available to unmarried different-gender parents.

VAPs were updated last year in Massachusetts to be inclusive of all parents – an important win. But there is still work to be done there, as in other states, to ensure all children have the security of a legal relationship to their parents. The proposed Massachusetts Parentage Act, like the Rhode Island Parentage Act, defines clear paths to parentage through birth, adoption, acknowledgment, adjudication, genetics, assisted reproduction, surrogacy, de facto parentage, and presumptions (including a marital presumption).

These state-based parentage acts are based on The Uniform Parentage Act (UPA), a non-partisan model bill that can guide states in updating their parentage statutes to ensure all kids and families are secure and treated fairly. Versions of the UPA are in various stages of the legislative process – Vermont passed its own comprehensive parentage reform last year, and GLAD is a founding member of the Connecticut Parentage Act Coalition, which is advocating for similar updates in Connecticut. Sound bills based on the UPA address critical gaps in state family law statutes, will lessen risks for kids, and protect parents from heart wrenching worry – or worse. GLAD is committed to advocating for these bills that we hope will become law in every state in the country.

Clearing the path for legal recognition of parents is in the best interest of children. As the current laws stand in many states, parentage is not equally accessible for all families. Because of outdated laws in Rhode Island, Connecticut and other states, many parents and children are left without legal protections – and what options are ostensibly open to them are inaccessible, expensive, or an invasion of privacy – huge barriers for those without the financial means or access to legal support.

So, this Mothers’ Day, as we celebrate all mothers – and parents of all kinds – let’s also work towards protecting families equally. All children deserve security.

PrideFest RI 2019

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Join us for PrideFest Rhode Island 2019!

Entrance on Wickenden Street and Memorial Blvd

Parents and Advocates Urge Rhode Island to Modernize Outdated Parentage Laws

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Parents, community members and family advocates provided powerful testimony before the Senate Committee on Judiciary in support of S0789, the RI Parentage Act and S0497, the RI Confirmatory Adoption Act

Providence – Parents, community advocates, family law attorneys and others spoke out yesterday about the urgent need to modernize Rhode Island’s parentage statutes, which were last updated in the 1970s. During a hearing before the Senate Committee on Judiciary on S0789, the Rhode Island Parentage Act, and S0497, the Rhode Island Confirmatory Adoption Act, there was overwhelming support for the changes proposed by these bills. Parents shared personal, at times painful, stories about the devastating impact that the current holes in the law mean for their children and families, and urged senators to adopt common-sense updates to the state’s parentage laws to meet the needs of all of Rhode Island’s families. Rhode Island parent Sara Watson told the committee about the fear and uncertainty she experienced in the hospital after her partner Anna gave birth to their son. “I was holding our newborn in my arms and I realized that, on paper, I was completely invisible. I had no way to establish my legal relationship to our son,” she said. “I worried that if something had happened to Anna, I wouldn’t even be able to take him home from the hospital.” The proposed Rhode Island Parentage Act (RIPA), which clarifies who can be a parent and how to establish parentage, would enable families like Sara’s to be able to access legal parentage immediately after birth. The RIPA, in fact, would modernize Rhode Island’s outdated laws to ensure that all children have access to legal parentage and to ensure that the state’s laws are fair and constitutional for all Rhode Island families. “Having a secure, legal connection to their parents as soon after birth as possible is critical to children’s financial security and emotional well-being,” said Polly Crozier, Senior Staff Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. “Rhode Island needs a comprehensive modernization of its parentage laws. Among many critical gaps, Rhode Island is the only state in New England lacking any protections for children born through assisted reproductive technology and for children born through surrogacy, leaving children vulnerable. Existing law also places unnecessary, costly and often humiliating burdens, including home studies, on parents who are adopting their own children. We need to do better for all Rhode Island families, and passing these bills will do that.” S0789, introduced by Senator Erin Lynch Prata, establishes clear paths to parentage in Rhode Island that reflect the many ways contemporary families are formed, including children born through assisted reproductive technology and surrogacy. The bill is based on the 2017 Uniform Parentage Act (UPA), a model, non-partisan, uniform law that advises all states to ensure that their parentage statutes apply equally to LGBTQ families, among other suggested updates. “The Rhode Island Parentage Act would update and modernize Rhode Island parentage law in critical ways to provide greater certainty and security for children and their families,” said Courtney Joslin, a Rhode Island native who is a professor at UC Davis School of Law and who served as the Reporter for the Uniform Parentage Act, upon which the bill is based. “This important bill will also provide much-needed guidance for family court judges as they grapple with increasingly complex parentage questions.” S0497, introduced by Senator Gayle L. Goldin, streamlines and provides greater clarity and consistency in the process for co-parent adoptions by LGBTQ couples who seek to adopt their own children. “Rhode Islanders deserve laws that reflect and protect the range of families that exist in our state today,” said Denise Crooks, a parent and representative of LGBTQ Action RI. “For children who are born through assisted reproductive technology, such as sperm or egg donation, we need a streamlined process to legally secure their relationship to their parents. As a parent of donor-conceived children, my greatest wish is to keep my family secure, the same as any parent. Passing these bills will support all families in Rhode Island.” In addition to numerous parents sharing heart-wrenching personal stories, overwhelming support for these bills was articulated at the hearing by experts and advocates including LGBTQ Action Rhode Island, GLAD, Resolve NE, the Rhode Island Department of Human Services/Office of Child Support Services, the ACLU of RI, and long-standing family law practitioner Lise Iwon and surrogacy practitioner Mike Grant. For more information and an additional list of supporters, read the fact sheets on S0789, the Rhode Island Parentage Act, and S0497, the Rhode Island Confirmatory Adoption Act. ### Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation. LGBTQ Action RI is an advocacy organization dedicated to securing equality and justice for LGBTQ Rhode Islanders through legislative and policy advocacy.

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LGBTQ families come in many configurations. All of them are worthy of recognition, respect, and protection, especially where children are concerned. Neither financial resources nor the manner in which a family is formed should be a barrier to legal security for kids and parents.

Major gaps remain, however – even in New England – in ensuring that LGBTQ families have easy, equal, and affordable access to parentage protections and particularly gaps in protections for non-biological, unmarried parents.

“We’re pushing policy makers and the courts to catch up with the reality of LGBTQ lives,” says Senior Staff Attorney Polly Crozier. “Our community forms families in many different ways: through marriage, adoption, assisted reproduction, surrogacy. We’re helping core societal institutions catch up with these realities so that people can be secure in their families and be there for each other and depend on each other in every way.”

We’re making meaningful progress on several fronts.

GLAD is currently collaborating to pass comprehensive parentage reform bills in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The proposed bills are modeled on legislation we worked to pass in Vermont and Maine to ensure that all families–including LGBTQ families–are treated fairly no matter how they are formed.

This legislation spells out clearly who can be a parent, how parentage is established, ensures that state parentage law is fair for LGBTQ families, and gives courts a way to resolve conflicts in parentage, among other provisions. Although the bills are tailored to the needs of each state, a key provision of each is expanding access to a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Parentage (VAP). VAPs are an easily accessible administrative route to establish legal parentage at birth and have both parents listed on a child’s birth certificate. Each state must have a VAP process, and VAPs are accorded full faith and credit throughout the country.

VAPs have been a critical advance for LGBTQ families, and GLAD has been at the forefront of advocating for access to this route to parentage. For instance, in Massachusetts, which has long been a leader in recognizing and protecting our families, same-sex couples could not use VAPs to establish parentage until last August, after GLAD intervened on behalf of two unmarried same-sex couples with children. In both instances, the non-biological mothers had been told by hospital staff that they could not sign VAPs because the paperwork was restricted to opposite-sex couples only as a means of establishing paternity. Following GLAD’s advocacy, the state has updated its VAP forms so that they are now inclusive of all parents.

This is the type of advocacy GLAD will continue to do alongside local lawyers, families, and other advocates to educate lawmakers on these key LGBTQ family protections. We can’t say when these bills will pass, but we’re making sure they are central to conversations about our lives and the law in New England.

Separate from the parentage reform proposals, we are also working to pass bills in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to streamline the co-parent adoption process, which can be expensive, burdensome and inconsistent. GLAD is working with our partners to make it clearer and easier for families to complete co-parent adoptions, particularly in Rhode Island, where courts continue to require home studies and notice to sperm donors – onerous and patently unfair conditions when parents are adopting their own children.

“Family law issues are core to LGBTQ rights, whether we’re talking about equal access to marriage or vital protections for children of LGBTQ parents. GLAD has always led on family law matters, and I’m proud that GLAD continues to be on the forefront of securing such important protections for all families.”

This post comes from the Spring 2019 issue of GLADBriefs, which can be found in entirety here.

Updating Adoption Laws in Rhode Island

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All children in Rhode Island need and deserve a secure legal relationship with both parents. LGBTQ co-parents in Rhode Island and elsewhere continue to face the reality that other states may discriminate against them and not recognize their legal status as parents. This leaves both parents and children vulnerable to harm when traveling in or moving to another state. For this reason, LGBTQ couples must complete adoptions of children born to them thorough assisted reproductive technology in order to obtain a court judgment that will be respected throughout the United States and internationally.

Since many LGBTQ families have their children through assisted reproductive technology, LGBTQ parents find themselves in the odd situation of having to adopt their own children. This is a situation not ordinarily faced by non-LGBTQ parents.

H. 5706 – An Act Relating to Domestic Relations – Adoption of Children codifies a streamlined process for co-parent adoptions by LGBTQ couples who petition to adopt their own children so as to ensure universal recognition and respect for their parentage. This bill will ensure greater clarity, efficiency, and consistency in the adoption process.

On March 20, 2019, GLAD Senior Staff Attorney Patience Crozier submitted testimony in support of H. 5706. Read it here.

Click here for a fact sheet on this bill.

Protecting LGBTQ Families in Rhode Island

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Victory! On July 21, 2020, Governor Raimondo signed the Rhode Island Uniform parentage Act into law with families in attendance and speaking on behalf of RIPE. Read more.

Visit the Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality coalition page to learn more about the families and community partners who made this victory possible.

Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act: Frequently Asked Questions

What You Need to Know Before January 1, 2021

The Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act updates Rhode Island law to clarify who can be a parent and how to establish parentage. These critical reforms recognize the diversity of families in Rhode Island and ensure that all children can have their legal parentage established regardless of the circumstances of their birth. The current Rhode Island parentage law is out-of-date and unconstitutional.

Click here for the full text of Senate Bill 0789

Click here for the full text of House Bill 6707

Click here for a fact sheet about the legislation

Sara Watson speaking at Rhode Island State House

GLAD Senior Staff Attorney Patience Crozier

discussing S0789 at RI Senate

Testimonies:

Senior Staff Attorney Patience Crozier (House Judiciary Committee, February 26, 2019)

Senior Staff Attorney Patience Crozier (Senate, April 25, 2019)

Senior Staff Attorney Patience Crozier (House, March 20, 2019)

UC Davis School of Law, Professor of Law and MLK Jr. Research Scholar, Courtney Joslin (April 24, 2019)

Related News Articles:

Providence Journal; A new path to legal parenthood

UpriseRI.com; Parentage Act to study commission

UpriseRI.com; Parents and advocates urge house speaker

Courtney Joslin’s Yale Law Journal Article, “Nurturing Parenthood Through the UPA”

Updates:

February 26, 2020: RIPE press event was followed by a powerful hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act. Watch video coverage from WPRI of the hearing here.

February 13, 2020: The House version of this bill, Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act, was introduced into the RI House of Representatives. Read the statement here.

February 11, 2020: The Senate votes unanimously for SB2136 Sub A. This is an important step forward for Rhode Island Families. Learn more.

June 7, 2019: The Parentage Act passes unanimously in the Rhode Island Senate.

June 26, 2019: The House votes to send the Rhode Island Parentage Act (RIPA) to a study commission.

The Rhode Island Parentage Act updates Rhode Island law to clarify who can be a parent and how to establish parentage. These critical reforms recognize the diversity of families in Rhode Island and ensure that all children can have their legal parentage established regardless of the circumstances of their birth. The current Rhode Island parentage law is out-of-date and unconstitutional.

Now in Rhode Island, many children and families remain vulnerable because they have no clear route to establish their parentage. Rhode Island has no statutes clarifying parentage for children born through assisted reproduction, and no statutes regarding parentage through surrogacy.

The Rhode Island Parentage Act is based on the Uniform Parentage Act of 2017, which is a model, uniform law that advises all states to ensure that their parentage statutes apply equally to LGBTQ families among other suggested updates.

On March 20, 2019, GLAD Senior Attorney Patience Crozier submitted testimony to the Rhode Island House Committee on Judiciary in support of H. 5707 – An act relating to domestic relations – Uniform Parentage Act (“Rhode Island Parentage Act”). Read it here.

On April 25, 2019, GLAD Senior Attorney Patience Crozier submitted testimony to the Rhode Island Senate Committee on Judiciary in support of S. 0789 – An act relating to domestic relations – Uniform Parentage Act (“Rhode Island Parentage Act”). Read it here.

The RI legislature is also considering H5706/S0497 the Rhode Island Confirmatory Adoption Act. Read more.

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Response to New York Times Report of Trump Administration’s Latest Move Against Transgender People

Statement of GLAD Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi

Today’s New York Times report that the Trump Administration is considering a proposal to define the word “sex” for legal purposes in a way that deliberately excludes transgender people is one more example of this administration’s disregard of human rights and its heartless political strategy of attacking the most vulnerable among us.

The reactionary policies of this administration have caused and will cause too many to suffer. But staying focused on the changes that our community, friends, and allies have so bravely brought about through our advocacy, our words, and our deeds, sustains me. It informs my firm belief that the callousness of this administration is an aberration. We will persist, justice will win out, and this challenging moment will not define our country’s future.

This reported move is in conflict with the approach of both federal and state courts and government agencies in interpreting laws prohibiting sex discrimination. Even though the administration is working hard to delegitimize the federal judiciary upon which so many civil rights advancements have depended, we know that justice means justice for all. GLAD will never back down from pursuing protections and challenging unconstitutional laws and policies in the courts.

But just as importantly, the ideology being pushed by this administration is contrary to the beliefs and vision of countless leaders in education, business, medical and scientific communities, and among political leaders who have been willing to work across the aisle when rights and safety have been at stake. It also stands in stark contrast with the lives and experience of transgender people, our families, friends, neighbors and coworkers, all across this great nation.

The bottom line is that this administration has a transparent, callous, political agenda – and it is willing to undermine our most fundamental institutions to pursue it. We have seen this at work everywhere from the military – where Trump continues to pursue his ban on transgender troops despite its proven negative impact on military readiness and vocal opposition from military leaders – to the arenas of education, employment, and healthcare. It is a toxic agenda, dangerous to us all.

This administration continues to act rashly and in mean-spirited ways. But we have the power to counter it. We are strong and resilient. We will not back down and cannot be erased. We will continue telling the truth about our lives, treating one another with compassion, and fighting for justice. It is imperative that we act now, with our collective power, to stand up for what is right. We have an opportunity on November 6 to voice our values, to support candidates who believe in fairness, and reject those who use human beings as political pawns.

In Massachusetts, we face a critical vote – one that offers the chance to affirm the dignity and humanity of transgender people and to uphold the value of treating one another with respect. How Massachusetts votes on Question 3 will impact the direction of our nation. I am hopeful that the people in my home state will vote Yes on 3 to preserve the transgender civil rights law which we fought so long and so hard to pass. I am optimistic that we will demonstrate, once again, that the cruel agenda of a few does not reflect the will of We, the People.

The reactionary policies of this administration have caused and will cause too many to suffer. But staying focused on the changes that our community, friends, and allies have so bravely brought about through our advocacy, our words, and our deeds, sustains me. It informs my firm belief that the callousness of this administration is an aberration. We will persist, justice will win out, and this challenging moment will not define our country’s future.