Disownment is abuse. It breaks lives, fractures identities, and causes lifelong psychological trauma—especially when it happens to young LGBTQ+ individuals. And yet, far too often, the very people who severed those bonds feel entitled to walk back into our lives without accountability.

That’s why we’re calling on lawmakers to introduce, and pass the Disownment Act 2025: a legal and moral framework that recognizes the harms of familial disownment and prevents further manipulation or reentry by abusive family members.

 
Why This Matters:

Take the tragic true story of Thomas Bridegroom, a young gay man disowned by his religious family. After his sudden death, his long-term partner Shane Bitney Crone was barred from the hospital, excluded from funeral arrangements, and erased from Thomas’s legacy. The family who rejected Thomas in life reclaimed him only in death—without remorse, without apology.

Or consider Holding the Man, the real-life account of Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo, whose love was tested by homophobia and familial denial. John’s parents refused to accept their son’s identity until his final days, and even then, the acceptance was limited, conditional, and controlling.

These stories are not rare. Disownment happens to countless others—many as young as 13 or 14—who are cast out for being gay, autistic, disabled, or simply different. When their families suddenly reappear—at weddings, funerals, hospitals, or courtrooms—they often cause even more pain by pretending nothing ever happened.

 
What We're Demanding:

We propose the creation of the Disownment Act 2025, which would:

Recognize Disownment Formally
Allow victims to legally register that they’ve been disowned, stripping their biological relatives of rights to inheritance, hospital visitation, legal decisions, or posthumous control—unless reconciliation is legally and voluntarily documented.

Mandate Accountability
Any disowning party seeking to re-enter the disowned person’s life must undergo mediation, provide a formal apology, and complete counseling or reconciliation programs.

Impose Penalties for Manipulation or Abuse
If relatives try to circumvent the legal process through manipulation, coercion, or “emotional blackmail,” they must face financial penalties, restraining orders, or—if necessary, mandatory psychiatric evaluation and institutionalization for demonstrated emotional instability or abusive behavior.
Protect Chosen Families

Ensure partners and close friends of disowned individuals are given legal standing in all matters—especially in emergencies or end-of-life care.
Offer Support and Protection for Disowned Youth
Establish safe housing, therapy, and emergency support for young people disowned by family—especially LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent youth at risk of homelessness or suicide.
 
Who This Petition Affects:

LGBTQ+ individuals disowned by religious or controlling families
Autistic, disabled, or neurodivergent youth rejected by parents
Victims of abuse who have cut ties with manipulative relatives
Anyone who has built a chosen family to survive
 
Being born into a family doesn’t give anyone the right to destroy your life, and then reclaim it when it’s convenient for them.

We believe that no one should be forced to accept abusers back into their lives without consent, accountability, and healing. The Disownment Act 2025 is about justice, safety, and dignity.

The family you choose is stronger than the family you're born into.

This saying has been proven based on countless stories about resilience from both the straight and the LGBTQ+ community.

 
Sign this petition and help make disownment a legally recognized, protectable issue. Let's change the law—because chosen families are real families.