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Adoption for Gays and Lesbians

Every responsible, loving adult has the inherent right to share his or her life with a child. Fortunately, today's society realizes that a person's ability to care for a child, and not his or her sexual orientation, should determine parental rights. In our tolerant, accepting generation certain controversial "issues" of the past, like gay and lesbian adoption, are now understood and encouraged.

Gay and lesbian adoption is certainly not a new concept. Only in recent years has gay and lesbian adoption been a topic of debate. Perhaps the only reason that it is now discussed so openly, is that the very subject of alternative lifestyles has become a common topic of discussion. Gays and lesbians no longer feel compelled or obligated to hide their lifestyles, and are free to hold the same legal considerations as heterosexual adoptive parents.

Gay and lesbian adoption was, for many years, a subject of attack by government, agencies and society in general. In those days (and, sadly, even today) people actually believed that children might suffer behavioral or emotional harm if they were not raised in the presence of both a man and a woman. There were also those who would try to argue that exposing a young child to homosexuality could potentially affect his or her development. These archaic thinkers held that the child would suffer from delayed sexual maturity, experience negative consequences or even "learn to be gay".

To be considered for adoption, many homosexual couples were forced to lie about their personal lives. One partner would petition for the adoption and complete the adoption process, while the other would pose as a roommate or friend. While this tactic was sometimes successful, adoption is a legal act that requires full disclosure and honesty from all parties. By being forced to lie about their own fundamental lifestyles, these adoptive parents were placed in a very tense situation.

Society's general acceptance of gay and lesbian adoption has fortunately changed, making legal entitlement much more accessible to couples. Gay adoption is now quite common and potential parents are free to choose from the three basic adoption processes:

Independent Adoption Process

A third party is involved in this process, although it is not a social worker or a representative from a typical adoption agency. Independent adoptions may be facilitated by attorneys and doctors, but the final decisions rest with the families involved. Some states and countries do not accept this process as a legal adoption, but it is widely recognized in many parts of the world.

International Adoption Process

Some studies suggest that international adoption is the most complicated and difficult choice for gay and lesbian couples. When a child from another country is adopted, the adoptive parents must work with an adoption agency. It can be tricky to find an agency that is willing to deal with an international country and able to find a child to place with a gay couple. This is simply because many cultures and countries still discriminate against gays and lesbians.

Public Agency Adoption

The most common adoption process, this involves the courts and the adoption agency in the decision to grant or deny the application. These groups and delegates will ideally act in the best interest of the child, putting aside any personal bias. There are experts suggesting that this system is still somewhat subjective toward the attitudes of the agency and state.

Although more common and openly discussed, gay and lesbian adoption remains a matter of controversy for some conservative groups. Sadly, homosexual couples often feel the need to hide their lifestyle from homophobic eyes. Modern trends, however, indicate greater acceptance and a more positive shift in the tides.

Article Source: http://www.inpop.net

Contributor Calida Sevier writes for numerous web magazines, on lesbian mom and pharmaceutical themes.

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