Adoptive Lesbian Moms: “We know what it’s like to be different”
Adoptive lesbian moms Bianca Monreal and Tonie Alfonso, profiled at HuffPo, said that they believe gay people are particularly suited to be adoptive parents.
Adoption
Be an Ally for Adoption!
November is National Adoption Month, and the Family Equality Council has launched the “Allies for Adoption” campaign to raise awareness of a very simple thing we could do to help more children in foster care find forever homes: remove the barriers that prevent qualified LGBT people from adopting children.
“The Call” Video About Adoption Will Bring Tears to Your Eyes
This touching new video from the Family Equality Council’s “Allies for Adoption” campaign is the most poignant thing I’ve seen online in quite some time. Anyone who has ever waited for that call from an adoption agency should be able to relate.
Russia Stops Swedish Same-Sex Couples from Adopting Children
Russian authorities have halted adoptions of Russian children by Swedish same-sex couples, reports Swedish newspaper The Local. A spokeperson for the Adoptioncentrum agency told Sveriges Television (SVT) “It’s terrible. We have 13 children in Russian orphanages today who have been offered to parents in Sweden who they have actually met.”
Tell Michigan Lawmakers Not to Deny Homes to Foster Children
Michigan legislators on the state House Committee on Families, Children, and Seniors have passed three bills that would give taxpayer-funded adoption agencies the right to deny an adoption placement based on that agency’s moral or religious beliefs. This is an anti-LGBT bill, no doubt about it — but it is the children needing homes who will suffer the most. . Here’s what you can do to help stop these bills from going any further.
Take a Survey About Impact of Internet on Adoption
A new study by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute aims to look at how the Internet and social media are impacting people touched by adoption, from adopted persons to adoptive parents, birth/first parents, and adoption professionals. If you fit one of those categories, they want your input!
LGBT Parenting Roundup
More stories I haven’t covered earlier, including a terrific piece by the mother of a sperm donor; a newly out lesbian mom with a major university sports program; and yet more research showing sexual orientation of parents doesn’t negatively impact children.
A Gay Dad Explains Why He Doesn’t Like the Phrase “Motherless Parenting”
From the “how could I have missed this” files: While studies show [and they do] that children with same-sex parents are just as well-adjusted as those with different-sex parents, they might lead us to overlook the full experience of adopted children, wrote Frank Ligtvoet in the New York Times a few weeks back. Ligtvoet, a gay dad with two adopted children, reminds us that “motherless parenting is a misnomer.”
Study: Parents’ Relationship More Important to Kids’ Development than Sexual Orientation
A second study published within the past week has concluded that how adoptive parents relate to each other is more important to their children’s development than their sexual orientation is.
More Evidence: Having Same-Sex Parents Is Unrelated to Child Adjustment
Yet another study has confirmed what many of us already know: having same-sex parents doesn’t predict how well-adjusted a child will be. This new study is notable, however, for looking at adopted children who were placed in their adoptive homes at a very young age.