Adoption Articles

We reported in October that Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper supports adoption by same-sex couples. There are no current laws in the state that specifically bar gay couples from adopting.

Now Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) President Chris Sanders is telling HRC Back Story that his state may get through another year without anti-gay legislation. Says Sanders:

The Family Council Action Committee recently sent an urgent plea to its conservative supporters - after the group’s president realized his effort is being defeated in fundraising.

NWANews.com reports that the group fighting for gay and lesbian parenting rights in Arkansas - Arkansas Families First - has raised more money in the past month of operation than the FCAC has since July.

The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting a defeat for lesbian and gay Americans living in Utah. Legislation proposed by Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck (pictured) would have repealed Utah's ban on same-sex couples adopting children.

But reporter Jennifer Francis writes "the bill was closeted in the Rules Committee without a single public hearing".

Rep. Chavez-Houck said:

Tennessee's Attorney General - Bob Cooper - has stated that no current laws specifically bar gay couples from adopting in his state. Now there's a push in the General Assembly to get laws changed to ban adoption by gay couples.

Proposed legislation in the state would not only prevent gay couples from being able to adopt children but would bar heterosexual couples who are not married from adopting. Single people could still adopt, but unmarried couples could not.

The Tennessean has posted its position on the subject:

According to Social Work Today, Latino gay and lesbian couples adopt more children than other same-sex couples.

The online resource for social workers reports on a study conducted by Alliant University and highlights interesting facts about same-sex couples in Florida.

Among the research results:

The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting on the battle gaining momentum against Utah's adoption ban, which was passed in 2000. Utah is one of three states with the adoption prohibition.

Fair-minded advocates hope to get adoption restrictions on all cohabitating couples, including same-sex couples, lifted. Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck, a Democrat representing Salt Lake City, is sponsoring the bill.

According to Israel's daily newspaper - Haaretz - Welfare Minister Yitzhak Herzog (pictured) will promote a policy that would allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt children. Until now, those in same-sex relationships have been allowed to adopt their partner’s biological children, or to have an adoption registered in Israel after it was performed abroad. Couples have not been allowed to adopt a child who was not born to one of the two partners.

Equality Florida posted a message on its blog Wednesday, December 12 - in response to questions about the group's efforts to repeal Florida's ban on adoption by LGBT prospective parents.

EF communications director, Brian Winfield, writes:

"Florida's ban on adoption by gay and lesbian people, who are otherwise well qualified to be parents, is institutionalized discrimination against our community born out of the Anita Bryant hysteria of the 70's.

Elley was adopted at 3-weeks-old. Then, at a young age she placed her own baby for adoption.

She writes:

"I will never forget having to leave that hospital without my son. That tiny, helpless baby...and I was walking away. Of course, I was also extremely confident in my choice of adoptive parents. It was just before Christmas and I felt as though I were giving them the best Christmas present ever."

Almost seventeen years later, she's about to meet her son:

A ban on gay adoptions has been in effect in Florida since 1977. This video introduces Curtis Watson and his partner, Scott Elsass, who tell the story of how they came to foster Francesca and Angelina, two girls whom the state could not place anywhere else.

According to the ACLU, the girls went from being “problem” children to harmonious members of a loving family. But - after a judge awarded the couple legal custody of Francesca and Angelina - the state tried to remove the girls from their home because Watson and Elsass are gay.