LA County begins actively recruiting gays and lesbians for parenting
And it’s about time.
Whatever you hear to the contrary, the tide against gays who adopt kids is turning – and for the better. All the classless arguments from the right-wing(nut) groups have been shot down, killed and buried – or are well on their way to that grave. There are plenty fo agencies that won’t place kids with gay parents, and you know what? Ultra-simply – fuck them. I know of plenty that will, and I have an evil lawyer on retainer who hates bigoted groups like that as much as I do.
The simple fact is this: gays and lesbians are no less qualified and able to parent as anyone else who turns up and says, “Hey, I’ve got the time, resources and love to give a kid who’s stuck in foster care – what’d you say?”
Now, LA county is actively putting word on the street that it wants gays and lesbians who think they can step up to the challenge to come forward:
Nationwide, there are nearly 500,000 children in foster care, with approximately 115,000 available for adoption. As the nation’s most populous county, Los Angeles serves a very large percentage of these children. As of July 2011, there were 35,223 children receiving child welfare services, 15,390 of them in “out of home” care.
“Ten years ago there were very few LGBT families that understood that they could foster and adopt through the county,” says Robyn Harrod, Adoption Director at Southern California Foster Family and Adoption Agency. “Now, nearly 50% of the families our agency works with are headed by single or partnered gays and lesbians.”
Laurie Rein, Adoption Program Manager at Penny Lane Centers underscores the importance of a large-scale media campaign. “We want the LGBT community to see these posters, hear the radio PSAs and realize that fostering and adopting is an option for them. We want to establish the fact that gays and lesbians are welcome to foster and adopt. We know this community provides safe and loving homes… and our kids are waiting.”
For more information, visit www.RaiseAChild.us
So, how does this dovetail into the report that’s making the rounds today which says kids with gay parents are getting the fuzzy end of the lollipop?
Among the barriers and inequities they face, as detailed in the report:
—Many government safety net programs use definitions of family tied to marital status which may exclude same-sex partners.
—Because of lack of legal recognition for their unions, gay and lesbian parents can face heavier tax burdens, higher costs for health insurance, and diminished financial protections in the event of death or disability.
—When same-sex parents separate, one parent may lose custody or visitation rights, even in cases where he or she had been a child’s primary caregiver.
Overshadowing all these problems is pervasive social stigma, according to the report.
“Many of the challenges LGBT families face stem from a society that assumes that everyone is heterosexual and comes from a family with two married heterosexual parents,” it says.
For opponents of same-sex marriage, the issue of children can prompt nuanced responses.
“Certainly children in any household arrangement need to be protected — need full support and love,” said Mary Ellen Russell, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Maryland. But she said such protections should be provided without redefining the traditional concept of marriage as between a man and woman.
Many of the obstacles and inequities outlined in the new report would be addressed if same-sex marriage — now legal in six states and Washington, D.C. — were legalized nationwide and recognized by the federal government. However, the report includes numerous recommendations for less sweeping changes that would benefit children with gay parents, such as:
—Broadening the definition of “family” to allow LGBT families to benefit fully from government safety-net programs, and revise the tax code to provide equitable treatment for these families. At present, even legally married same-sex couples who can file joint state tax returns must file separate federal returns.
—Enacting state-level parental recognition laws that would allow joint adoption by LGBT parents. Even with about 110,000 children in foster care who are eligible for adoption, some states and agencies refuse to place children with same-sex couples.
—Ensuring that LGBT families have access to health insurance on equal terms with heterosexual families, and eliminate inequitable taxation of these benefits.
—Ensuring that hospital visitation and medical decision-making policies are inclusive of LGBT families.
—Expanding education and training about LGBT families for social workers, health care providers and other professionals.
I’m going to withhold comment on this report for a number of reasons:
1. I’m not going to follow suit with the rest of the gay internet when a story breaks about our continued social injustices. That is, circulate the report, copy the same factoids being shared everywhere else with my own article, and drop on my .02 cents to make it my own take. When the condensed version of the report is still 35 pages, I’m going to take the time to read it.
2. The first thing that jumped out at me in the summary above was “When same sex parents separate, one parent may lose custody or visitation rights, even in cases where he or she had been the child’s primary caregiver.” Uh, that can happen to heterosexual couples just the same, so that’s not a break-the-camel’s-back fact for me. That says I need to read this puppy in full before I weigh in.
3. A BIG thing being omitted from the wide circulation today is that because my union is not federally recognized (were I even TO be married…), both my partner and I can legally claim the adoption credit on our taxes. $13,170 off the top for each of us to offset the adoption expenses. Straight folks can’t do that and that’s a big plus that’s being omitted from the usual “Oh, woe is us” context that this is being circulated in today.
4. Being a gay man who’s adopted a son, would you like to know the amount of problems we’ve faced? Either Jason or I? Absolutely zip. That’s not to say that other gay parents have not faced problems, or that they’re making things up – I’m quite certain that they have. My personal experience doesn’t mirror a single thing I’ve read in skimming thru the report so I want to read it in detail before I comment fully.
There you have it – read the full details at the links and I’ll probably be back on this subject by the weekend once I’ve had the chance to go thru this.
(thumb via the All Children Matter report)
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