In 2015, the US Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell afforded same-sex couples the right to marry and enjoy all the benefits that come with marriage, namely parentage/paternity establishment.

Some states have taken the landmark decision a step further by creating laws that allow unmarried same-sex couples to establish parentage/paternity, granting new fathers and mothers all the same rights and responsibilities as different-sex parents:

Key Benefits of Establishing Parentage/Paternity 

• Builds a stronger emotional tie between parent and child.
• Allows access and management of medical records.
• Enables the child to receive benefits like life insurance, inheritances, social security, etc.
• Gives the right to request custody and visitation (parenting time) orders from the court so that he or she can legally visit with his or her child.
• Provides the parent(s) the right to receive child support if the relationship does not last.

The map below shows the different ways same-sex couples can establish parentage/paternity according to where they live.  The purple states have laws on the books that allow UNMARRIED same-sex couples to establish parentage/paternity and the blue states are the states with laws for MARRIED same-sex couples only. 

If your state does not have online resources dedicated to same-sex parents, contact your local child support agency for information on how to establish yourself as a parent. Simply click on state to be directed to the appropriate resources in your state.