A circuit judge today struck down Arkansas’ ban against unmarried couples adopting or foster-parenting children.
The Arkansas law was approved by voters in November 2008, during the same election that in California saw the imposition of Prop 8, which halted the previous legalization of marriage for same-sex couples.
The news must be particularly galling to former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who last week affirmed support for the law and said we should not “experiment” with children by letting them grow up with same-sex parents. Huckabee also announced this week that he was registering to vote in Florida—the only state that explicitly bans gay men and lesbians from adopting.
The state is, however, expected to appeal, according to the ACLU, which brought the case, so this isn’t over yet. Still, it’s a promising sign.
Congratulations to all LGBT people in Arkansas and to the children who will now have a better chance of finding a loving, permanent home.
