In the past year, we have made so much progress toward LGBT equality. My home state of New York passed marriage equality, "Don't Ask Don't Tell" has ended, and DOMA is under unprecedented assault in the U.S. Senate and in the courts. The momentum is there to build on our progress, which is why I'm proud to introduce the Every Child Deserves a Family Act in the U.S. Senate today.
As more and more LGBT couples are getting married and starting families, we have a great opportunity to place children without a family into happy homes, either by adoption or foster care. But unfortunately, discrimination against both adoptive and foster parents based on sexual orientation or gender identity is still pervasive in this country. Currently, five states prohibit same-sex couples from adopting, and there are six states that ban same-sex parents from adopting their partner's children. In all, 31 states practice some form of discrimination against LGBT families.
Which is why we desperately need this legislation.
The Every Child Deserves a Family Act would prohibit any adoption or foster care agency that receives federal money from discriminating against potential adoptive or foster parents based on sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status. This legislation would open thousands of new foster and adoptive homes to children, ensuring that they are raised in loving families.
I'm proud that my home state of New York has led on this, allowing LGBT individuals -- and now married couples -- to adopt and be foster parents. Mary Keane of Yonkers is a perfect example. At age 50, Mary, a lesbian, decided she wanted to be a mom, so she volunteered to be a foster parent. Now 63, Mary is the proud parent of 12 foster kids, five of whom she has since adopted. Thanks to New York's open foster care laws, Mary was able to give these kids the happy, stable home they'd never known.
The fact is that LGBT parents are just as able to provide a loving and stable home for children as straight parents are. It's my hope that as more and more LGBT Americans are able to marry, so, too, will their families grow to include some of the over 100,000 children still waiting to be adopted or welcomed into foster homes. And as we commemorate National Adoption Month throughout November, it's my hope that the Every Child Deserves a Family Act will get a fair hearing in Congress. Not only will this bill allow thousands of children to find loving families, but it will help move us further toward equality for all LGBT Americans.
Follow Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SenGillibrand
H.R.3827: Every Child Deserves a Family Act - U.S. Congress ...
Gay Rights Petition: Pass the Every Child Deserves a Family Act ...
But they do.
R/ PRONESE
Most of us will agree with what the senator is trying to do. Let us all support her, by sending an e mail to our Senators, and urge them to support the Senator.
We just might be able to give many children a chance they would have other wise not received.
But she has completely won me over. I suppose in her upstate heart of hearts she'll never be as liberal as me, but she knows who her constituents are and she knows how to go to bat for them. That she happens to be a beautiful, elegant woman who represents us in the Senate with such grace is the icing on the cake. I'll be proud to vote for "Kirsten Who?" when the time comes.
Thanks Dave!
She is also pushing to get rid of the DOMA. She is pushing for same sex marriage for the country. She is a lot more liberal that most of you know.
Thank you Senator for what you do.
I was born out of wedlock. At the time, my birth mother had lost her husband in an accident one year prior and was caring for two children on her own. This was the early sixties.
I was put up into the Catholic Childrens Aid in Ontario. I was then placed into the home of a Catholic married couple who had 4 children. As I got older, I along with 2 of my other siblings were sexually abused by my pedophile father. For me the abuse went on for 6 years.
When I grew older, I tracked down my natural family and had I not been given up to that family, would have avoided the abuse.
I am married and have two children that I am proud of.
My daughter's godfather lived in a homosexual relationship with his partner, a father of two boys.
Both boys are heterosexual.
My point here is that religious intolerance does not protect the child as it comes down to personality.
Parenting is not a physical act, it is a responsibility. One that my adoptive father failed at and one that my daughter's godfather excelled. .
Do I say, stop with the adoptions? NO
Just remember zealots " He who throws stones should not live in glass houses"
We were thwarted at every turn from becoming his legal guardians because of our sexuality and the then [non-exsistent] legal status of our relationship. The fact that he was happy, and thriving with us and his mother had in essence abandoned him made no difference in our legal attempts..
Children deserve to be with people who will love and nurture them regardless of how they came to be in foster care, or put up for adoption, or as in our cased simply given away, and certainly regardless of the sexual orientation of those who would care for them.
We all turned out quite well, but certainly could have benefited from some form of legal recognition of our family.
Our son is grown, my partner and I are now in fact legally married, and I am going to support my senator from New York in this endeavor.
I'm happy going on 21years with my partner, grown "son" 2 doggies and 2 kitties :).