Adoption Rights for Gays and Lesbians

Adoption Rights for Gays and Lesbians Just a few years ago, most children grew up in a “traditional” or “nuclear” family, which refers to the conjugal household consisting of a husband, a wife, and their dependent children, whose relationships are traditionally recognized by the American family law. Yet, in today’s society, fewer and fewer American households are daresay “traditional” families. The constant societal changes have brought about the rise of “alternative” or “nontraditional” families, many of which include group living, unmarried cohabitation and single-parent families---all of which are mutually interdependent households, but not recognized as so by the American family law. As part of these “alternative” or “nontraditional” families, in the past decade we have begun to see a sharp rise in the number of lesbian and gay men forming their own families through adoption, foster care, artificial insemination and other means. So why are lesbians and gays still being repressed? Why are they being denied the right to adopt? Why is it that there are still countless states across the United States who however hold very stringent laws regarding lesbians, gays and adoption? Living in a soci

In evaluating yet another myth, one is taken back to the days when one was growing up and picked on by others in grade school. In recent polls conducted by The Family Adoption Society, statistics proved the harsh reality of adoption in the United States one out of every ten married couples would consider adoption as an option. Many believe that a child"tms peers would subject a child raised in a gay home to constant harassment and guaranteed rejection. They are simply caught up in a world of constant change, where nothing in their life is stable, and no guarantees and promised can be made. The crisis that society has faced against lesbians, gay men and adoption is the sole inability to distinguish myth versus fact. Amongst the myths and stereotypes is the present notion that lesbians and gay men are unfit to be parents. Therefore it becomes crucial that policies change in order to facilitate the needs of these children, innocent children whose sole desire is to find a stable and loving home. This whole notion will begin its launch once courts begin to eliminate the antiquated stereotypes, fears, taboos and misconceptions that pervade custody and adoption proceedings involving the gay and lesbian community. Through the chaos of myths and stereotypes, gays have come a long way at battling a society that can at times be cruel, insensitive and intolerant. Popular belief would conclude that lesbians and gay men don"tmt have stable relationships and therefore do not know how to be good parents. Not only must society recognize that such community exists, but they must be given recognition legally so that their interest, values and rights are viewed in an identical form as those of heterosexual couples. "More heterosexuals are having children through surrogates, there are more children of divorced parents, and there are single moms and dads than ever before. Ronald Taylor of The Medicine Journal, "there is no direct evidence that shows that children of gay couples will grow up to be gay themselves". The question remains can mainstream society distinguish myth versus factAmongst the present myths is that the only acceptable home for a child is one with a mother and a father who are married to each other, but gay parenting coincides with a much broader reconfiguration of households and kinship.