The New York City Administration for Children’s Services has launched a new, citywide campaign for adoptive and foster parents, including LGBT parents and those affirming of LGBT youth.
The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a leading (and LGBT inclusive) national non-profit devoted to improving adoption policy and practice, is conducting a new study on diversity adoptive family life—and they want LGBT families to be a part.
I could talk about the fact that the new pope called adoption by gay parents a form of “discrimination against children.” But are we really surprised by this? I could talk about how the National Organization for Marriage insulted adoptive parents of all types (including U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts) as well as same-sex parents. Again: It’s NOM. Are we surprised? But the next couple of weeks are going to be full of perturbing marriage- and parenting-related news, I’m sure, as the U.S. Supreme Court gets set to hear two marriage equality cases on March 26. I’ve chosen, therefore, to highlight some of the positive news of the week for LGBT families. Have a great weekend, all!
A new study from the U.K. found that gay and lesbian adoptive families are as successful as straight ones—another piece of “we could have told you that” research, perhaps, but nevertheless invaluable for convincing those who need further convincing about these things.
It’s a mostly international edition this time, with lots of LGBT parenting news from around the world. Go world!
Germany’s highest court ruled Tuesday that same-sex partners may adopt children already adopted by their partners. Stephanie Gerlach, a lesbian mom living in Germany, who has been writing, researching and counseling in the field of lesbian and gay parenthood for over 20 years, sent me an e-mail explaining the ruling in the context of the broader situation for gay and lesbian couples in her country. She was kind enough to let me share it here.
A Florida judge has allowed three people—two lesbian moms and the man they asked to be their sperm donor—to be listed on the birth certificate of their toddler. And the Dutch justice ministry is about to commission a report examining the possibility of recognizing three parents or more for one child. For some of the parents involved, this expanded recognition is good news; for others, not. But although three-parent recognition may seem newfangled, it has been around for longer than you might think.
Personal stories, political moves, and celebrity news I haven’t covered elsewhere (or that bear repeating).
Michigan has 14,000 children in foster care at any moment, over 5,000 of whom need homes because their biological parents’ rights have been terminated. A Michigan House committee, however, has passed two bills out of committee that would allow adoption agencies to deny an adoption placement based on the agency’s moral or religious beliefs. While agencies could use that to deny placements with many people, it’s pretty clear the main targets are LGBT people.
He probably doesn’t know it’s National Adoption Month. But when U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Jones ruled that Nevada’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples did not violate the U.S. Constitution, he insulted not only same-sex couples, but also adoptive and single-parent families.
