Oscar Nominated Film “The Kids Are Alright” Tackles Real Life Legal Scenarios for Gay and Lesbian Couples

The critically acclaimed film, “The Kids Are Alright,” staring Julianne Moore, Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo follows the lives of a lesbian couple and their family.

The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards on Sunday night, including Best Picture for its accurate portrayal of a modern family. In the film, Bening and Moore have two teenage children who are half-siblings through the same sperm donor, played by Ruffalo, who ends up coming into everyone’s lives and changing the dynamics of the family.

The film tackled a very important issue facing countless gay and lesbian couples throughout Southern Nevada. The issues of second-parent adoption and sperm donor rights were never mentioned specifically in “The Kids Are Alright”, but play a critical role in real life. In order for a gay or lesbian couple to obtain parental rights of their children, they must terminate the parental rights of a sperm or egg donor, which is vital to the eventual success of an adoption. Additionally, a gay or lesbian couple must file for a second-parent adoption to protect the non-biological parent if something were to happen to the biological parent.

“It is important that gay and lesbian couples take the appropriate legal actions to ensure they obtain the consent needed for an adoption,” said Attorney John Cereso of the Nevada Law Group. “Gay parents who chose to use a sperm or an egg donor cannot terminate the relationship with the bank or clinic. It is necessary to terminate parental rights in court and go through the second-parent adoption process so that the children stay within the family unit.”

As gay and lesbian parents continue to adopt children, it’s necessary to become familiar with state laws and understand who has legal rights in these often complicated cases. The Nevada Law Group practices in family law including adoptions, guardianships and domestic partnerships.