Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : Your LGBT family companion : How we see our relationships -- How this book can help -- Using forms in this book -- Defining family: basics of marriage, domestic partnership, and more --Defining family ; The rise (and likely fall) of domestic partnership -- Benefits for domestic partners ; Making it legal, and the key ramifications of marriage ; Prenuptial and prepartnership agreements ; Is marriage (or its equivalent) right for you? ; Special issues when one partner is transgender ; Adopting your partner ; Keeping up with legal changes -- Money, insurance, name changes, and immigration issues : Cash and credit ; Insurance ; Name changes ; Foreign lovers: visits and immigration -- Renting a home together : If a landlord discriminates against you ; Sharing a rental ; Sharing one partner's rented home ; Renter's insurance ; Moving on ; Public benefits and living together -- I'm Mom, she's Mommy (or I'm Daddy, he's Papa) : Legal parents and the second-parent trap ; Having a child ; Adopting a child ; Foster parenting ; Becoming a guardian ; Agreement with teenagers -- Medical and financial matters: delegating authority : Health care decisions ; Physician-assisted suicide ; Burial and body disposition ; Estate planning note ; Durable power of attorney for finances -- Looking ahead: estate planning : Death and living together contracts ; Wills ; A sample will ; Estate planning beyond a will -- Living together contracts for lesbian and gay couples : Living together contracts are legal ; When you need a living together contract ; What to include in a living together contract ; Sample living together contracts ; Contracts for jointly acquired items ; Modifying your agreement ; Beware the tax man! -- Buying a home together (and other real estate ventures) : Finding a house ; How much house can you afford? ; Proceeding with your purchase ; Taking title to your new home ; Contracts for home purchase and ownership -- Going separate ways: issues at the end of a relationship : Breaking up: an overview ; The separation process: what to do ; Getting to yes: how to work toward resolution ; Ideas for solving some common problems ; Breaking up when there's no legal relationship ; Dissolving a same-sex marriage ; Dissolving a straight marriage ; Domestic violence in same-sex relationships -- Help beyond the book : Hiring a lawyer ; Doing your own legal research ; Legal organizations -- Appendix : How to use the downloadable forms on the Nolo website : Editing RTFs ; List of forms available on the Nolo website.