Every Child Deserves a Family Act

Northern California’s Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) – Chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee – will host a panel discussion upon reintroduction of the Every Child Deserves a Family Act.

The proposed legislation would offer more homes to foster children by working with states to end discrimination against adoptive and foster parents based on sexual orientation and marital status.

Panelists will include foster children who discuss their experiences in the foster care system, parents who have faced discrimination in adoption, and experts on foster care and GLBT family issues.

The briefing will also be streamed live on the internet. More information will be sent out the day before the event.

United States Capitol, Room H-137 – Thursday, March 11 1:30 – 3:00 PM EST

Panelists will include:

Jason Hoffmaster, adoptive parent and alumnus of foster care: Hoffmaster resides in Seattle, WA with his partner, and their four adopted sons. He also serves as a Board Member for Amara Parenting (a private foster care and adoption agency) in Seattle.

Martin Gill, adoptive parent: Gill and his partner of more than eight years have been raising two foster children of the state since 2004. They are currently involved in a lawsuit against Florida’s policy that automatically denies adoption by gays and lesbians.

Leslie Cooper, Senior Staff Attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union: Cooper, who has been with the ACLU’s Lesbian and Gay Rights Project since 1998, is the lead attorney in the case In Re: Gill.

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