The special episode will investigate how Australian family law is struggling to legitimise and protect rainbow families.

Australian rainbow families will take centre stage on The Feed tonight as the program delves into the legal issues facing some of the country’s most diverse families.

The number of same-sex couples having children through IVF or with the help of a known donor or friend has risen by over 25 per cent in the last few years since changes to federal laws have allowed lesbian couples to access IVF procedures, use overseas donors, and allowed birth certificates to record two mothers.

But there is still a long way to go until same-sex families receive the same recognition and legal rights as their heterosexual counterparts.

When custody battles concerning same-sex families come before Australian family court, judges are forced to make decisions based on laws that still largely reflect so-called 'traditional' families.

The half-hour special of The Feed on SBS2, hosted by Patrick Abboud, will take a look at the emotional journey that many rainbow families go through and how family courts are struggling to legitimise and protect them.

It will include the story of Michael Kruguer, whose mothers, Louise and Lois, had a difficult separation and custody battle when Michael was seven. He’ll speak about the complexities of the court case and getting to know his donor dad, who was a close friend of his mothers.

You can see this special episode of The Feed at 7:30 tonight on SBS 2.