According to the Family Equality Council, “One in four children in this country is being raised by a single parent. Two million children are being raised in LGBT households. We all recognize there is no single type of family in America anymore. We must not allow anyone to place politics ahead of the best interests of children and exclude millions of potential parents because of who they are or whom they love.” (See: http://www.familyequality.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ECDF)

There is significant research that shows children raised in LGBT families have the same or better outcomes than children raised by heterosexual parents. As a result, large numbers of organizations have policy statements that support LGBT adoption and foster care including, The American Academy of Family Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Psychiatric Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and many others. For a complete list of these organizations and ones that support the Every Child Deserves a Family Bill see the list on the web site of PFLAG: http://community.pflag.org/page.aspx?pid=1411

The Independent Adoption Center is one of the child welfare agencies listed on this page supporting the bill. IAC has never had any discriminatory policies regarding adoptive parents including, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, religion, race, or ethnic background.

According to a statement issued by Tom Mann, Board Chairman of Equality Arizona, “SB 1188 takes the focus off of what’s in the best interest of the child when adoption decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis, according to what’s in a child’s best interest. Each case is unique. . . The only consideration should be determining what’s in the best interest of the child.

There is considerable research showing children raised by lesbian or gay parents have the same or better outcomes than children raised by heterosexual parents. The IAC does not discriminate against adoptive parents based on sexual orientation, marital status, religion, race, or any other reason.

For more on this topic read these posts:
Gay and Lesbian Parents Raise Well-Adjusted Children: IAC Families Participate in Groundbreaking Study
Son of Lesbian Mothers Speaks Out Against Iowa’s Legislation to Ban Gay Marriage

According to the Huffington Post, “The legislation, which was sponsored by Democratic Sen. David Koehler, would have amended the state’s recently passed civil unions law and allowed religious child welfare agencies to ‘decline an adoption or foster family home application’ to a couple in a civil union if ‘acceptance of that application would constitute a violation of the organization’s sincerely held religious beliefs.’” Read the full article posted on April 13, 2011 to the Huffington Post.

The IAC opposes any law that discriminates against potential adoptive parents for any reason, including sexual orientation, marital status, religion, and race.

For more on this topic read our posts on same sex adoption in Florida:

• LGBT Adoption Legal in Florida
• Florida Appeals Court Confirms Ban on Gay and Lesbian Adoption Unconstitutional
• Arkansas Ban on Same Sex Adoptions Ruled Unconstitutional

Having placed about 1000 infants with LGBT families over the course of 29 years, the Independent Adoption Center has been involved in numerous studies and has a lot of information to offer on this topic. Wrixon urges all same-sex families hoping to adopt that even if they aren’t going to adopt through the IAC, they can feel welcome to call and have their questions answered.

*Ten Percent, a weekly interview series that focuses on lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender (LGBT) issues, is a half-hour show created and hosted by long-time San Francisco media professional David Perry.

For more reading on LGBT adoption and same sex parenting read the following posts:

1. LGBT Adoption Legal in Florida
2. Wait Times for Adoptive Placements in LGBT Families
3. Gay and Lesbian Parents Raise Well-Adjusted Children: IAC Families Participate in Groundbreaking Study
4. IAC Recognized by Human Rights Campaign for Best Practices with LGBT Families
5. Son of Lesbian Mothers Speaks Out Against Iowa’s Legislation to Ban Gay Marriage

According to the today’s New York Times, “Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. sent a letter to Congress on Wednesday saying that the Justice Department will now take the position in court that the Defense of Marriage Act should be struck down as a violation of gay couples’ right to equal protection under the law.” See: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/us/24marriage.html

The article further explains that this new position will require the Obama Administration to file new briefs in ongoing litigation about the constitutionality of the legislation.

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, praised the Obama Administration’s new position in a media release posted on its web site today. See: http://www.hrc.org/15338.htm

The Independent Adoption Center supports same-sex marriage as a basic civil right, and because it provides legal protection to biological and adopted children who are part of these families.

Adoption attorneys usually specialize in adoption, and are frequently members of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. These attorneys specialize in adoption and have special skills and training in family law. They must follow the adoption law proscribed in the family code for their state.

Agencies can do every part of the adoption through the court report. An attorney usually files for finalization, but a paralegal or the adoptive family can also do this paperwork. Attorneys usually refer their clients to agencies for home studies, as most states require someone with a Masters in Social Work to complete the home study. As you can see, agencies and attorneys must cooperate with one another on an adoption, but you will need to decide who you will hire as the primary support through this process.

Agencies tend to focus on counseling. Social workers primarily staff adoption agencies, but sometimes law firms also hire social workers to help with counseling concerns that come up in adoptions. Adoption agencies are nonprofit while most adoption attorneys run for-profit businesses.

In general, I recommend that families talk to both agencies and adoption attorneys. Once they have established that an agency is licensed and that the adoption attorney is reputable, they can choose whom to work with based on whom they feel most comfortable with.

This law prevented IAC from working with LGBT families in Florida. Many LGBT families working with IAC moved to other states so they could adopt. This ruling makes such drastic measures unnecessary.

This is also an important ruling for birthparents. It gives Florida birthparents the right to choose the best adoptive family for their baby regardless of sexual orientation. Over the years, Florida birthparents have been stunned and then angered to realize that they could not place their baby with the family they believed would provide the best home because of Florida’s discriminatory laws regarding LGBT adoptions.

IAC opposes all discriminatory practices in adoption, and, in particular, opposes laws that discriminate against LGBT families. IAC applauds this decision, and hopes it is the first step in outlawing discrimination against LGBT families wanting to adopt anywhere in the United States.

Next, Open Adoption stems from love, grows with love and thrives with love. At the root of this beautiful tree are the strong and selfless women who place their children for adoption. It is because birthparents are at the heart of adoption, that we wanted to create something for them. So, IAC announces our private social networking website just for birthparents. Be on the look out for updates from IAC’s iheartadoption blog.

Also learn about one of the IAC’s very own, Caitlin Mueller, who is not only working to transform lives here at the IAC, but will be joining in the fight against HIV and AIDs by biking 545 miles up the California coast. If you would like to support Caitlin, visit: www.tofighthiv.org/goto/caitlin

Last, but surely not least, read along as our experts discuss two very pertinent issues in open adoption. IAC’s Associate Executive Director and Clinical Director, Kathleen Silber, MSW, LCSW recommends welcoming openness into a closed or semi-open adoption and how to go about it. Lawrence Siegel, JD talks about the role of birthfathers in the adoption process and how to track down a birthfather in California who is MIA to discuss with him his options.

TELL US MORE!! What was your favorite article? And, why? What do you want to read about in future issues? Any other comments, suggestions, questions?

The court noted considerable research showing that Gay men and Lesbians are as fit parents as their heterosexual counterparts, and that the outcomes for children of Gay men and Lesbians are equal. The court’s opinion states, “These reports and studies find that there are no differences in the parenting of homosexuals or the adjustment of their children.” The court also noted this research was scientifically valid and published in peer reviewed journals, while the experts for the Florida Department of Children and Families were either not qualified and/or their research had not been published or verified by peer review.

Unfortunately, despite two courts stating that the ban is unconstitutional adoption practice in Florida is likely to continue the ban on Gay and Lesbian family adoptions until all of the appeals have been exhausted. After the first court ruling in March, Florida continued to prohibit LGBT families from adopting from both the foster care system and in private adoptions.

To read the entire the opinion of the Florida Appeals Court see: http://www.3dca.flcourts.org/Opinions/3D08-3044.pdf