Rainbow Families continues to strive to meet the unique needs of ALL LGBTQ+ prospective parents, current parents, and families. In 2022, several of our members gathered at our Annual Conference & Family Gathering and formed QPOCX or Queer Parents of Color Connection, a sub-group within Rainbow Families for Black, Indigenous, and other Parents of Color (BIPOC) to connect. The QPOCX group within Rainbow Families celebrates the racial and ethnic diversity of our community and hosts events to highlight BIPOC LGBTQ+ families and their unique needs. The QPOCX group is currently co-chaired by Ash & Shay, two of our fabulous board members and the group is always looking for new ideas for events and activities. If you have ideas for the QPOCX group, please email us at info@rainbowfamilies.org.

We hope you'll join Rainbow Families' QPOCX Group for our upcoming event this Saturday, December 6th 12:00 - 3:00 PM at the Boros' Winter Wonderland in Tyson's Virginia. Click here to learn more and register.

The holidays can be a joyous and wonderful time for many of us, but it can also be a difficult time for many. Rainbow Families offers several virtual support groups for LGBTQ+ parents and prospective parents all at no charge for current members. Check out the upcoming offerings:

Expecting & New Parent Support Group
Sundays 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM 
January 4th, February 1st, and March 1st
Facilitated by Integrative Therapy of Greater Washington
Click here to register.

Pre-Conception Support Group
Sundays 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM 
January 4th, February 1st, and March 1st
Facilitated by Integrative Therapy of Greater Washington
Click here to Register.

Single Parent by Choice Support Group
Thursdays 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM 
January 8th, February 5th, and March 5th
Facilitated by a licensed therapist from Lavender Therapy
Click here to register.

Grief & Loss Support Group
Tuesdays 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
January 27th, February 24th, and March 31st
Facilitated by a deacon in The Episcopal Church
Click here to Register.

Divorced & Separated Support Group
Mondays 8:00 PM
December 1st, last session of 2025 and will restart in February 2026
Click here to register.

This week is Trans Awareness Week ending on Thursday, November 20th, which is Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience. This week we honor those transgender people we have lost to violence, be that intimate-partner violence, state-sanctioned violence, or even suicide. Learn more about those we have lost this year from the Trans Remembrance Project - https://www.transremembrance.org/. 

On Wednesday, November 19th at 7:00 PM, Rainbow Families will join the Chevy Chase United Methodist Church in a special Trans Day of Remembrance Service. We hope you will join us.

Today, November 10, 2025, the US Supreme Court has rejected a challenge that could have overturned the landmark 2015 in Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. 

Read more here:

• "U.S. Supreme Court denies hearing in Kim Davis's marriage equality challenge" by Christopher Wiggins, The Advocate
  
  
• "Supreme Court rejects Kim Davis's effort to overturn landmark marriage ruling." by Joe Reberkenny, The Washington Blade
  

As of today, Monday, November 3rd, the US Government is still shutdown. We know many of our Rainbow Families are impacted by these actions and may be in need of resources:

Resources for the Government Shutdown

• Washington, DC Department of Employment Services - Resources for Impacted Federal Workers

• State of Maryland - Maryland Workers Impacted by Recent Federal Actions

• City of Alexandria, Virginia - Federal Government Shutdown Information & Resources

• Arlington, Virginia - Federal Government Shutdown Resources

• Fairfax County, Virginia - Federal Government Shutdown Impacts & Resources

• Loudoun County, Virginia - Resources for Federal Workforce

• Prince William County, Virginia - Resources for Residents Impacted by Federal Workforce Actions

• Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund - Government Shutdown: Resources for Federal Civilian Employees

• Partnership for Public Service - Resources for Federal Employees

• AFL-CIO - State Resources for Shutdown-Impacted Federal Employees and Contractors

The Advocate reported last week that the US Supreme Court will decide on November 7th if they will take up a case that challenges same-sex marriage being legal across the United States. Many in our community are rightfully nervous about what the US Supreme Court will do and how we can protect our marriages and our families. Rainbow Families is closely following the case and will provide updates to our members as they come.

This is also why our Town Hall: Conversations about Our Families, Our Schools, and Our Mental Health on November 15th. We want to provide our members with up-to-date information on how to protect our marriages and our parental rights. This is why we are so honored to have Summer Abel, a lawyer who specializes in LGBTQ+ family law, join us to share steps families can take to safeguard our rights. While we are fortunate that most of the school districts in DC, Maryland, and northern Virginia have had LGBTQ+ inclusive policies that recognize our families, they are being attacked and undermined by the federal Department of Education. This is why we are collaborating with the Human Rights Campaign's Welcoming Schools program to share how parents can fight for inclusive policies in their schools. All of this has taken a toll on many of our mental health and we need to build up our resiliency. This is why we will have a panel of mental health experts to share strategies to keep us sane through this trying time. We can do this together!

We hope you'll join us for our Town Hall on Saturday, November 15th. Click here to learn more and register (free for members) - https://rainbowfamiliesdc.org/event-6361794.

Rainbow Families' Town Hall is Sponsored by Toler Financial Group

Why is Rainbow Families prioritizing school advocacy at our Town Hall?

The answer is simple; we need to. The DMV area has been fortunate to have so many LGBTQ+ inclusive public school districts in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. We are grateful for the inclusive policies and practices that many of the public school districts have put in place. However, those inclusive policies are under threat and our hope is to equip our Rainbow Families' members with resources and tools to fight for our families to be represented in our schools' curriculum, in library books, and with inclusive policies for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, staff, and parents. 

We are grateful to have Cheryl Greene, who leads HRC's Welcoming Schools program attend our Town Hall on November 15th. Cheryl has been leading on LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools across the country for years and brings a wealth of experience and tactics we can use right here in our communities. Cheryl will be presenting new resources from HRC that outline what inclusive policies we should be fighting for, how to gauge the inclusiveness of your school, and how to make a difference with your school board.

Don't miss this important Town Hall discussion on November 15th! Which is now free for all Rainbow Families' members.  Click here to register today!

Rainbow Families' Playdate Program is Back!

This past Sunday, October 12th saw the happy return of our Playdate Program. Playdates are member-led events that are little to no cost for families. These programs often are as simple as meeting up at a local playground or park and we are always looking for member leaders to pull one of these opportunities together. This past Sunday we had about 10 families come out to our Playdate at Big Chimneys Park in Falls Church and we hope to have regular Playdate programs throughout the DMV area. If you are interested in learning more about the program or possibly leading a Playdate, please reach out to Ali D (she/her) at ali@rainbowfamilies.org. 

October is LGBTQ+ history month and this month we are honoring our wonderful Heroes of the Year:

Rainbow Families is hosting a special Town Hall on Saturday, November 15th 9:00 AM - 12:45 PM at the Human Rights Campaign's Headquarters in NW DC. The event will focus on legal protections for LGBTQ+ marriages and parental rights, advocating for pro-LGBTQ+ policies in our schools, and how to maintain our mental health well-being during this difficult time for many of us. So, why are we hosting this event?

Since 2022, there has been a concentrated effort to roll back rights and freedoms for LGBTQ+ people with a specific focus on stopping LGBTQ+ inclusion in our schools and transgender people's rights and health care. This fight started on the state level with book bans and curriculum censorship such as Florida's "Don't Say Gay/Trans" bill that made it illegal for teachers to discuss LGBTQ+ people, families, or topics in public schools. The attacks increased with bans on life saving, age-appropriate gender affirming medical care for transgender minors and even some transgender adults. Over 1,000 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in state houses across the country in the last three years alone.

This year has seen more attacks on LGBTQ+ people including the ban on transgender people serving in the US military and cuts to HIV-related programs. And now we are seeing the first challenge to the historic Obergefell Supreme Court Decision that legalized same-sex marriage across the country.

Many of our Rainbow Families are scared and unsure how to protect themselves and their families. Many of our Rainbow Families are disheartened to see the roll back of LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum and books in our public schools. And many of our Rainbow Families are dealing with mental health distress navigating the current polarized political climate. This is why we are bringing our community together for an in-person event in November. It's time we had a serious conversation about how to protect our families, our schools, and our mental health.

We hope you will join us for the Rainbow Families' Town Hall: Conversations about Our Families, Our Schools, & Our Mental Health on Saturday, November 15th 9:00 AM - 12:45 PM in-person at HRC's Headquarters in NW DC. Visit https://rainbowfamilies.org/events/ to register today.