On June 1, Indiana Governor Mike Braun declared June "Nuclear Family Month," defining a family as "one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children" and calling it "God's design for the family structure." The announcement — made on the first day of Pride Month — has sparked widespread backlash from Hoosiers who say it sends a hateful and divisive message: their families don't count.

For LGBTQ+ Hoosiers, same-sex couples, and anyone who doesn't fit that single definition of family, this isn't just symbolic. It's a statement from their own governor that they are not recognized. Indiana is home to families of every shape — single parents, grandparents raising grandchildren, blended families, same-sex couples raising kids they love deeply. None of them are less real, less committed, or less Hoosier than anyone else.

The proclamation also raises serious concerns for those who care about adopted and foster children. The first section includes them in its definition of the nuclear family. But the second quietly drops them. It states that "children living with their married, biological parents have better physical and emotional well-being" — no mention of adoptive or foster parents, and no evidence offered to support the claim. Hundreds of thousands of children are raised by adoptive and foster families across this country. 

Governor Braun, we're asking you to rescind this proclamation. Indiana's government should represent and serve all of its families — not just ones that fit its political or religious ideologies.