#InvisibleParents Short Highlights Inequality For Gay Families In Europe

Director Mike Buonaiuto scored a massive viral hit with his moving short Homecoming, which used the touching story of a soldier’s return home to push for equal marriage. Now Buonaiuto is back, teaming up with AllOut.org for a new short timed to coincide with National Adoption Week, which hopes to raise awareness of the inequalities facing gay parents throughout the EU.

As Allout put it in a petition they’re hoping we’ll all sign, ‘Same-sex families often stop being considered a family as soon as they set foot in a different country in the European Union – because the EU lacks a general legal framework to recognise these couples and their children across borders.’ The petition calls on the European Commission to address the situation.

It is surprising that while the EU assures things like free movement of people, stronger trade ties and that rules on everything from cheese to bananas are the same across the block, something as fundamental as a family can alter depending on where you are within the Union.

Andre Banks, Executive Director of AllOut.org commented, ‘EU member states pride themselves on integration, but their governments still fail to resolve the legal hurdles keeping same-sex families from full recognition across borders.’

MEP Michael Cashman has also joined the campaign, saying ‘Gay and lesbian parents can often find themselves legally invisible in a large percentage of the continent, putting their entire family in a very vulnerable situation, especially with regard to healthcare, holidays or family legal systems. The #InvisibleParents film argues that all children should be treated with legal equality, regardless of the sexual orientation of their parents. It is a brilliant way to allow people to connect with these very real issues and then do something about it.’

Organisers are encouraging people to share the film on social networking platforms and to use the Twitter hashtag #InvisibleParents