2025

Since the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage, the U.S. has grown increasingly divided over LGBTQIA+ rights. Red states have enacted laws restricting gender-affirming care, pronoun use in schools, and trans youth participation in sports, while blue states have expanded civil rights and access to affirming healthcare. We examined how this divide has deepened, especially with Trump’s 2024 executive orders aligning federal policy with red-state positions. Despite progress in half the states, a growing number of anti-LGBTQIA+ laws mean vastly different realities depending on where one lives. This stark contrast raises urgent questions about states’ rights, federal power, and the future of equality in America.

This research explores the intensification of anti-immigrant policies in the United States, particularly under Donald Trump’s presidency, which weaponized the “Immigrant Threat Narrative” to justify mass deportations, family separations, and harsh enforcement tactics. Drawing from community-based research with undocumented Central American mothers in Washington, DC, findings reveal widespread fear, depression, and material hardship resulting from immigration enforcement actions.

Since the Dobbs v. Jackson decision in 2022, abortion access has been increasingly restricted—especially in states with both anti-abortion and anti-immigrant policies. Immigrant women, particularly those who are undocumented, face compounded barriers including poverty, lack of insurance, legal exclusion, and fear of criminalization or deportation. Many resort to self-managed or unsafe abortions due to limited access and heightened fear. Despite their vulnerability, immigrant women are vastly underrepresented in abortion research and policy discussions. As reproductive and immigration restrictions converge, these women stand at the intersection of risk, facing grave threats to their health, rights, and autonomy.

Main page listing all the articles / presentations at the 2025 Council on Contemporary Families Symposium.

Many Americans are divided politically, but they strongly agree on the value of family time and the need for paid parental leave. Support for these policies is widespread across parties and states, with more states adopting family leave in recent years. Research shows that paternity leave in particular strengthens father-child bonds, supports healthier relationships between parents, and benefits families long term. However, access in the U.S. remains limited, and cultural stigma still discourages many fathers from taking leave. With growing public support, now is the time to expand access and create workplace cultures that normalize and encourage paid parental leave.