Conservative think tank proposes new policy aims targeting LGBTQ+ families

The Project 2025 authors advocate for the marginalization of same-sex parents.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative organization rooted in religious beliefs and the architect of Project 2025, has released a new report that presents alarming recommendations directed at diminishing the rights and recognition of LGBTQ+ families. As LGBTQ+ Nation reports, the document emphasizes a vision of family that excludes diverse family structures, particularly those that include same-sex couples.

"The family is the cornerstone of a thriving society, and, regrettably, the American family is facing significant challenges," the authors of the report assert. "We stand on the brink of an irreversible decline in family cohesion, threatening the very future of our nation."

Jessica Waters, a senior scholar at the American University’s School of Public Affairs, commented on the report in an interview with the American Independent, stating, "There are very few individuals who would qualify as what this report defines as a 'good family.'"

Project 2025 has influenced much of the policy agenda during the second Trump administration, including proposals to remove protections for transgender and nonbinary individuals, prosecute supportive educators under severe allegations, and eliminate Medicare coverage for gender-affirming healthcare. Many objectives outlined in Project 2025 aimed at undermining LGBTQ+ rights have already been enacted.

The new report, titled “Preserving America Through Strengthening Families,” focuses on prioritizing heterosexual family structures and children in government policy. Similar to past initiatives targeting transgender identity, this document seeks to diminish the visibility and legitimacy of LGBTQ+ families. A detailed 29-post thread accompanying the report outlines its goals.

According to the report, “The LGBTQ agenda… through the Supreme Court of the United States, has redefined marriage and severed it from its biological purpose of reproduction.” The authors further contend, “Marriage's purpose is to unite a man and a woman as husband and wife to become parents to any offspring that may arise from their union,” thereby excluding same-sex parents from their definition of family.

This characterization implies that the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling on marriage equality has exacerbated a "crisis" that jeopardizes the preservation of what they deem the true American family. Their policy recommendations reflect a deeply entrenched belief in traditional family structures, emphasizing a narrow definition of parenthood that predominates biological connections, thereby excluding same-sex couples regardless of their parental roles.

Key recommendations include redefining family tax credits to explicitly exclude same-sex couples and imposing stringent eligibility criteria on benefits like NEST college savings accounts and adoption credits, effectively favoring biological reproduction over alternative family creation routes such as adoption. The authors express strong opposition to surrogacy, condemning it as a practice that distorts the natural parent-child relationship and advocating for a global prohibition of the practice.

The report also challenges existing conceptions of gender identity, arguing against any notions that diverge from their rigid definitions of parenthood. They assert, “Mothers are female parents and fathers are male parents,” dismissing the legitimacy of gender identity as merely a subjective notion.

Endorsing government policies that prioritize traditional marriage, the report makes clear that it opposes same-sex and polyamorous relationships, cohabitation, or intentional single parenthood.

In conclusion, the authors assert that, “To usher in a new Golden Age for America, we must embrace the bold solutions presented in this report that will fortify the foundations of our families." They further claim, “Strong families contribute to robust communities, educational institutions, and economies. Without these, our freedoms are at risk.”