California campaign encourages adoption by gay and lesbian parents

L.A.’s KABC-TV is reporting that local agencies are reaching out to members of the gay community, launching a new campaign to encourage them to adopt children.

Proponents of the statewide campaign say there are thousands of kids who need loving homes. Opponents say it is an attack on traditional family values.

Several agencies launched a campaign called “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Family” on Tuesday to persuade members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to adopt children.

“They provide loving, stable and permanent homes for kids who need them,” said Robyn Harrod, Southern California Adoption Agency. “And, it makes absolutely no difference whether they are gay, straight, single, married … They just need to love kids and want to provide a home for them.”

According to a UCLA study, about 65,000 U.S. children now live with gay adoptive parents.