Gay Adoption

Iesha Clark

SOC 210, OL1

Shawn Allen Hutton

March 22, 2013

Gay Adoption

Gay adoption is exploding all across the world. So many people want to adoption

children, more than they want to have them. Gay adoption has just recently emerged in the last

20 twenty years, but it has existed for quite some time. Celebrity Rosie O’Donnell adopted a

child, and made gay adoption more popular, and made it more accepting for people. Gay

adoption is not exactly legal in all 50 states, but it is legal in about a dozen states. In Florida, gay

adoption is outlawed; meaning that it is not allowed a period.

Since there are so many problems with gay adoption, many gay couples are adopting

internationally. With international adoption, there comes the problem that the future parent must

always stay closeted throughout the entire adoption process. If they do not stay closet, then there

is a chance that they country will not allow them to adopt the child. Only single parent adoption

is available, but once the child is safely in America, then the other parent can file for second

parent adoption rights. According to a study, there more than one out of three lesbians that give

birth to children, and one out of six gay males that either adopt, or father a child. There are more

than 16,000 children in America that are adopted by either a gay or lesbian parent. About 14,000

foster children are living, or adopted by gay and lesbian parents. Three percent of same-sex

parents are raising/parenting foster children in America. Although gay and lesbian parents are

providing loving and caring homes for children, they are also helping the economy. Mainly

without lesbian and gay parents, the government and states will lose out on a lot of money.

In 2009, about 19 percent of same-sex couples have reported of having had adopted a

child, which has increased from 8 percent since 2000. About 115,000 children in the United

States are waiting to be adopted, as well as the acceptance of gays and lesbians in America. In

some states, gays and lesbians are allowed to adopt. “The reality is we really need foster and

adoptive parents, and it doesn’t matter what the relationship is.” “If they can provide a safe and

loving home for a child, isn’t that what we want (Weir, Moira)?” Gays and lesbians play a huge

role in adoption. In the article “Adoptions Rise by Same-sex Couples, Despite Legal Barriers,”

Mr. Samuels states that “the child welfare system has come to understand that placing a child in

a gay or lesbian family is no greater risk than placing them in a heterosexual family.” Children

are safe with either a homosexual or heterosexual family. Over the past five years, the numbers

of adoption agencies have doubled to about 50 because gay and lesbians want to be parents.

Even though there is an acceptance for gay and lesbian families, there is still discrimination

mostly in conservative states, so adoption agencies like to work like an “underground railroad.”

Same-sex parents that adopt are more likely to be more affluent and educated. In the United

States, there are at least two gay/lesbian families that are raising adopted children.

Gay marriage has attracted more attention than gay adoption has. There are many barriers

that gays and lesbians encounter through an adoption process. Some adoption agencies like to

find traditional families, such as two-parents (mother and father), or a single parent families. In

the United States, there are no real standards for gays and lesbians adopting children. Out of the

50 states in the U.S., Florida is the only state that really prohibits gays and lesbians adopting

children. Vermont, California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts are the only four states that give

joint adoption for gay and lesbian couples. In some states, welfare/adoption agencies consider

gay and lesbians successful and potential adoptive parents. Over many years, fear and

discrimination have been insulted into gay and lesbians about adopting children.

Countries like Guatemala, China, and Thailand have become more restrictive, and have

prohibited gays and lesbians from adopting, even though adoption is more flexible. Recently,

gays and lesbians have challenged social workers and adoption agencies of their commitment to

multiculturalism. The often used words “best interest of the child,” is commonly used with the

welfare system when it comes to gay and lesbian adoptive parents. In the states that allow gay

and lesbian adoption, professionals, social works, and judges are involved in deciding where to

place the child, and what the best interest for the child will be. Welfare workers make their

recommendations on the child by determining their best interest of the child. They do not go by

what is best for the future adoptive parents, or the workers personal opinion, and the agency. If

there is an excessive need for adoptive homes, certain applicant families might become desirable,

or even trust worthy for adoption. No evidence has come up stating that having gay or lesbian

parents have a negative effect on children.

Sometimes when social works agree with placement of a child with a lesbian or gay

couple, they will be subjected to ostracism, ridicule, and career problems. Some works attitude,

or behavior changes when they are responsible for the placement of a gay or lesbian adoption.

Social workers will sometimes follow the actions of others that they may perceive as prestigious

or that are just like them to make the right decision. A lot of welfare agencies prefer to have

middle-class, single parent, or poorer families to adopt children, than have gay or lesbian

couples/single-parent to adopt. In the article “Coming out of the Closet: Opening Agencies to

Gay and Lesbian Adoptive Parents,” Ryan states that, in 1996 he found that 14 percent of social

workers he surveyed would not place a child with a gay man or lesbian, because they believed

these placements were either against the law or in opposition to agency policy, neither of which

was true.” A child should have the right to loving parents; a child should not be adopted.

Most statutes contain a common element in the states that permit gay and lesbian

adoption. Same-sex families have become a part of the American society in a quiet way. In the

United States, there are about 1 million gay and lesbian families raising about 2 million children.

In New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago, those few states have the

highest percentage for gay and lesbian families raising children. In a recent parenting poll, about

30 percent of people state that they have a relative or a friend that is a same-sex parent. About 50

percent of the United States still oppose to gay/lesbian marriage, and gay and lesbian adoption.

After a child is adopted by a gay or lesbian couple, the couple will suffer a huge financial change

and legal status because some states are still opposed to gay and lesbian adoption. In a recent

survey, 3 out of five people say that when it comes to same-sex couples that have children, they

view them as families.

When it comes to lesbian and gay adoption, there are many different options from where

they can adopt from. They can adopt from another family, foster care, or they can adopt

internationally. It depends on welfare agencies, adoption agencies, and country/states on whether

or not the gay/lesbian couples can adopt or not. During the adoption process, the adoption home

study is the first thing that happens. Many gay or lesbian couples have lied in the past/present

about their marital status, and whether or not they are gay. Some lesbian or gay couples say their

partner is their friend or roommate when it comes to adopting a child; just so they will not get

rejected. Although it is legal to withhold information about your status, but it is not legal to tell a

little lie when that certain question is asked. There is no exact number of how many gay or

lesbian couples are adopting. The number is unknown because gay/lesbian parents fear that

society will regard them in a different way.

There have been studies done on many same-sex couples to see how the child is doing,

and how the child is being raised by their gay/lesbian adoptive parents. Sometimes in the studies

that have been done, some researchers are biased against the couples because they object to

same-sex adoption. When it comes to gay and lesbian groups, they show positive results for

adoption, while conservative, or religious groups show negative results. During studies,

researchers have not found a negative study stating that gay or lesbian parents having a bad

effect on children, or a disadvantage. When gay and lesbian couples adopt a child for the first

time, they will need support from family and friends. Some parents of gay couples are upset and

not around after their child came out, but after their child adopts a baby, they come back around

into their child’s life. Gay adoption is the most popular method when it comes to building a

family. In the Unites States, most of the Americans do not have any sense of value or prevalence

for gay/lesbian parenting. There are gay household books for children in many libraries all across

America. For friends and family, there are gay/lesbian parenting books giving helpful

information on any particular challenges raised by gay parenting. Over the recent years,

empirical, and clinical knowledge of gay/lesbian adoption has increase dramatically. If adoptive

agencies go the nontraditional way with placement resources because they do not want to place a

child in gay/lesbian home; then children with have a longer wait in foster care homes with

permanence.

References

Maxwell, L. (2008). Building Rainbow Families. 5. Retrieved from www.LibraryJournal.com

Ryan, S. Pearlmutter, S, Groza, V. (2004). Coming Out of the Closet: Opening Agencies to Gay

and Lesbian Adoptive Praents. 12

OnDerko, P. The (Same-sex) Family Next Door. (2011)

Craft, C. Gay Adoption Basics. Retrieved from www.About.com

Tavernise, S. (2011). Adoptions Rise by Same-sex Couples Despite Legal Barriers.