November is National Adoption Month, so I’ll be posting a bunch of adoption-related resources over the next few weeks.
I’ll start with the HRC National Adoption Month page, which has links to information for both prospective parents and child welfare professionals, along with news and event listings.
And because a Florida circuit court recently overturned the only law in the country that banned all gay men and lesbians from adopting, I want to point readers to Equality Florida’s contact page for people who want to adopt in the Sunshine State. They’ll help you get answers and/or find an attorney.
Of course, Mississippi still bans same-sex couples from adopting, and Arkansas, Michigan, and Utah ban unmarried couples—by definition, all same-sex couples in the state—so we still have a long way to go before children in all states have access to all the qualified adults who wish to provide loving homes—but Florida is a start.
Have you adopted or are thinking about it? Share your story in a comment or start a discussion on the Mombian Facebook page.
Nine months ago, our daughter came home with us. This is our first National Adoption Month as parents and I don’t feel like activism/education/advocacy are in the cards for us this month. I suspect as our daughter gets older, we’ll be more involved in education (either in the community or at her school) and advocacy. Although not a day goes by without me thinking about her birth parents (we also chat occasionally and get together for coffee here and there too), I find myself marvelling at the gift they’ve given us: I wouldn’t be a mom without my daughter’s birthmom. So more than usual, I think I’ll be taking time out to honour my daughter’s birth parents this month. I don’t have the words to truly convey to them how they’ve changed our world, and how much we appreciate them.