How many stat still prohib adoptn by gay parents and what n we do about ? - ParentsTogether

Contents:

• HOW MANY STAT STILL PROHIB ADOPTN BY GAY PARENTS AND WHAT N WE DO ABOUT ?
• MANY STAT STILL PROHIB GAY ADOPTN
• THE STAT WANT TO MAKE LGBT ADOPTN AS HARD AS POSSIBLEFAYKANSAS, OKLAHOMA, AND COLORADO WILL WEIGH LEGISLATN THAT WOULD ALLOW RELIGLY AFFILIATED CHILD-PLACEMENT AGENCI TO TURN AWAY SAME-SEX UPL, CG ‘RELIG EEDOM.’SAMANTHA ALLENUPDATED APR. 24, 2018 10:17AM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 24, 2018 4:38AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTIN THE THREE YEARS SCE THE SUPREME COURT LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE NATNWI, ANTI-LGBT GROUPS HAVE BEEN SPERATELY LOOKG FOR STATE-LEVEL VICTORI WHEREVER THEY N GET THEM.AND THIS YEAR, THEY’RE GOG AFTER FOSTER CHILDREN. Y, FOSTER CHILDREN.THREE STAT—KANSAS, OKLAHOMA, AND COLORADO—WILL SOON WEIGH ANTI-LGBT LEGISLATN THAT WOULD ALLOW RELIGLY-AFFILIATED CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI TO TURN AWAY SAME-SEX UPL LOOKG TO ADOPT OR FOSTER A CHILD UNR THE GUISE OF “RELIG EEDOM.”IN KANSAS, HB 2481, WHICH IS CURRENTLY MTEE, WOULD ALLOW CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI TO REFE TO “PARTICIPATE ANY PLACEMENT OF A CHILD FOR FOSTER RE OR ADOPTN” IF THAT PLACEMENT “WOULD VLATE SUCH AGENCY’S SCERELY HELD RELIG BELIEFS.” IN OKLAHOMA, SB 1140, WOULD E SIAR LANGUAGE TO GIVE CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI WI BERTH TO DISCRIMATE AGAST PROSPECTIVE FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE PARENTS BASED ON “THE AGENCY’S WRTEN RELIG OR MORAL NVICTNS OR POLICI.” THIS BILL ULD BE HEARD THE STATE LEGISLATURE AS EARLY AS THIS WEEK, LGBT ADVOT SAY.IN COLORADO, SB 241–A STANDALONE REMNANT OF THE RECENTLY-FAILED ANTI-LGBT “LIVE AND LET LIVE” ACT—WOULD ALLOW ADOPTN AND FOSTER RE AGENCI TO CLE SERVICE “ A MANNER NSISTENT WH A SCERELY HELD RELIG BELIEF OR MORAL NVICTN.” THE TEXT OF THE BILL PAR THE RIGHTS OF CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI TO DISCRIMATE AGAST LGBT PEOPLE TO “THE RIGHT OF QUAKERS AND OTHER PACIFISTS TO SERVE THE NATN AS NON BATANTS TIM OF WAR” AND TO “THE RIGHT OF JEWS AND OTHER SABBATH OBSERVERS TO DITE THEIR TIME TO GOD AND FAY STEAD OF WORK[G] ON THEIR SABBATH.” “WHAT MAK THIS FLAVOR OF ANTI-LGBT BILL PECIALLY PERNIC IS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO BEAR THE BNT OF SUCH LAWS ARE THE CHILDREN THE STATE FOSTER RE SYSTEM WHO LOSE OUT ON FAI THAT THEY SPERATELY NEED.” COLORADO’S BILL IS LLED THE “COLORADO CHILDREN FIRST ACT”—BUT LGBT ADVOT ARE QUICK TO POT OUT THAT SUCH PROSPECTIVE LAWS ACTUALLY PLACE CHILDREN SEND TO A BATE THAT HAS NOTHG TO DO WH THE QUALY OF PARENTG THEY WOULD RECEIVE.“WHAT MAK THIS FLAVOR OF ANTI-LGBT BILL PECIALLY PERNIC IS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO BEAR THE BNT OF SUCH LAWS ARE THE CHILDREN THE STATE FOSTER RE SYSTEM WHO LOSE OUT ON FAI THAT THEY SPERATELY NEED,” SAID AMERIN CIVIL LIBERTI UNN ATTORNEY LLIE COOPER ON A MONDAY PRS LL ABOUT THIS NEW WAVE OF LEGISLATN, ADDG THAT THERE ARE CURRENTLY OVER 100,000 CHILDREN THE UNTRY WAG TO BE PLACED WH ADOPTIVE AND FOSTER FAI.NOT ONLY DO THE BILLS TARGET CHILDREN, THEY REPRENT A SORT OF LAST RORT FOR ANTI-LGBT LAWMAKERS AND GROUPS, WHO HAVE SO FAR FAILED TO PASS ANY ANTI-LGBT STATE LAWS 2018. AS THE WASHGTON POST RECENTLY OBSERVED, THE LGBT MUNY THE U.S. IS ABOUT TO SURVIVE AN ENTIRE STATE LEGISLATIVE SSN WHOUT AN ANTI-LGBT BILL—LIKE NORTH CAROLA’S HB 2 OR MISSISSIPPI’S HB 1523—BEG LAW.IF ANY ONE OF THE THREE BILLS PASS, AS LGBT ADVOT ON MONDAY’S PRS LL POTED OUT, WOULD BEE THE FIRST ANTI-LGBT BILL TO BEE LAW 2018.INED, 2018 HAS MOSTLY SEEN A STRG OF STATE-LEVEL FEATS FOR ANTI-LGBT LAWMAKERS AND GROUPS: VOTERS ANCHORAGE, ALASKA TURNED DOWN AN ANTI-TRANSGENR BATHROOM IATIVE. CONVERSN THERAPY BANS ARE BEG PASSED LEFT AND RIGHT. AN ANTI-LGBT ADOPTN BILL GEIA THAT WAS BEG NSIRED EARLIER THIS YEAR—A BILL VERY SIAR TO THE CURRENTLY-PROPOSED LEGISLATN KANSAS, OKLAHOMA, AND COLORADO—DIED LATE MARCH AT THE END OF THE STATE LEGISLATIVE SSN.“NOW, ALL EY ARE ON THE REMAG STAT WHERE THERE ARE BILLS TARGETG LGBTQ PEOPLE AND PARTICULARLY TARGETG CHILDREN WHO WILL BE HARMED BY NOT HAVG THOSE PARENTS THE POOL OF POTENTIAL PARENTS THE SYSTEM,” SAID CATHRYN OAKLEY, STATE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN, LLG THE BILLS KANSAS, OKLAHOMA, AND COLORADO “PECIALLY EGREG” THEIR NTENT. IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT, JT AS ANTI-TRANSGENR BATHROOM BILLS ALMOST NEVER E THE WORD “TRANSGENR,” RELYG STEAD ON LANGUAGE LIKE “BLOGIL SEX” OR “ORIGAL BIRTH CERTIFITE,” NONE OF THE ANTI-LGBT ADOPTN BILLS ACTUALLY EXPLICLY MENTN SAME-SEX UPL NOR DO THEY E WORDS LIKE “GAY,” “LBIAN,” OR “BISEXUAL.” “THE BILLS ARE PART OF A BROAR EFFORT BY OPPONENTS OF LGBT EQUALY, BOTH STATE LEGISLATUR AND THE URTS, TO E RELIG EEDOM ARGUMENTS TO TABLISH A RIGHT TO DISCRIMATE AGAST LGBT PEOPLE.” BUT THE TENT BEHD THE REFULLY-WORD BILLS IS CLEAR OM THEIR TIMG: THEY STARTED CROPPG UP THE AFTERMATH OF THE 2015 OBERGEFELL CISN, AS ANTI-LGBT GROUPS BEGAN SHIFTG THEIR FOC OM MARRIAGE TO SENDARY TARGETS, LIKE BATHROOMS AND WEDDG K.“THE BILLS ARE PART OF A BROAR EFFORT BY OPPONENTS OF LGBT EQUALY, BOTH STATE LEGISLATUR AND THE URTS, TO E RELIG EEDOM ARGUMENTS TO TABLISH A RIGHT TO DISCRIMATE AGAST LGBT PEOPLE,” SAID COOPER.BEE THE LANGUAGE THE ANTI-LGBT BILLS IS SO BROAD—FULL OF SWEEPG APPEALS TO “MORAL NVICTN” AND “SCERELY-HELD RELIG BELIEFS”—THEY ULD ALSO ALLOW RELIGLY-AFFILIATED CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI TO NY NOT JT CISGENR GAY, LBIAN, AND BISEXUAL PARENTS, BUT TRANSGENR PARENTS, TOO. “THERE IS NO EXPLIC LANGUAGE THAT TALKS ABOUT TRANSGENR PEOPLE BUT FOR EACH OF THE BILLS, WHAT THEY’RE SAYG IS AN AGENCY DON’T NEED TO WORK WH ANYONE WH WHOM THEY HAVE A RELIG OBJECTN, ANYONE WHO DON’T MEET THEIR RELIG TT.” “THE ANSWER IS SENTIALLY Y,” SAID OAKLEY, WHEN ASKED BY THE DAILY BEAST WHETHER OR NOT THE BILLS WOULD ALLOW NIAL OF CHILD PLACEMENT TO FAI WH AT LEAST ONE PARENT IS TRANSGENR. “THERE IS NO EXPLIC LANGUAGE THAT TALKS ABOUT TRANSGENR PEOPLE BUT FOR EACH OF THE BILLS, WHAT THEY’RE SAYG IS AN AGENCY DON’T NEED TO WORK WH ANYONE WH WHOM THEY HAVE A RELIG OBJECTN, ANYONE WHO DON’T MEET THEIR RELIG TT.”“THAT ULD CLU ANY NUMBER OF PEOPLE—CLUDG BUT NOT LIMED TO LGBTQ PEOPLE AND SAME-SEX UPL,” OAKLEY ADD.IN FACT, THERE IS PRECENT FOR A STATE TO NSIR ANTI-TRANSGENR SENTIMENT A “MORAL NVICTN.” MISSISSIPPI’S HB 1523, WHICH IS STILL EFFECT PENDG LEGAL CHALLENG, SPECIFILLY ENUMERAT THE IA THAT BLOGIL SEX IS “IMMUTABLE” AS A PROTECTED “BELIEF OR NVICTN”—EVEN THOUGH TRANSN-RELATED MEDIL RE N MONSTRABLY CHANG A PERSON’S HORMONE LEVELS AND SEX CHARACTERISTICS.THERE ARE ALREADY SUBSTANTIAL OBSTACL STANDG THE WAY OF LGBT PEOPLE WHO WANT TO FOSTER OR ADOPT A CHILD.  AS LAMBDA LEGAL NOT, ONLY SIX STAT HAVE EXPLIC PROTECTNS FOR PROSPECTIVE TRANSGENR FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE PARENTS, WHICH MEANS THAT MOST TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE “VULNERABLE TO EXTRA SCTY OR NIAL SIMPLY FOR BEG TRANSGENR.” ONLY A HANDFUL OF ADDNAL STAT LIKE OREGON AND NEW YORK HAVE PROTECTNS BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATN ALONE.MEANWHILE, AS A RECENT USA TODAY REPORT POTED OUT, SEVEN STAT—TEXAS, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA,VIRGIA, MICHIGAN, ALABAMA, AND MISSISSIPPI—HAVE ALREADY RVED OUT ANTI-LGBT RELIG EXEMPTNS FOR CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI. BILLS LIKE KANSAS’ HB 2481, OKLAHOMA’S SB 1140, AND COLORADO’S SB 241 WOULD ONLY ADD TO THAT NUMBER—AND MAKE HARR FOR LGBT PEOPLE TO RE FOR CHILDREN NEED. SAMANTHA ALLEN

HOW MANY STAT STILL PROHIB ADOPTN BY GAY PARENTS AND WHAT N WE DO ABOUT ?

A lot has changed the more than 40 years sce the first gay uple adopted a baby California 1979. Perhaps not surprisgly, more and more gay upl, specifilly, started adoptg: Same-sex upl are four tim more likely to adopt a child and six tim more likely to foster a child when pared to heterosexual upl.

MANY STAT STILL PROHIB GAY ADOPTN

Wh more than 100, 00 children wag to be adopted this untry alone, allowg gay upl to adopt ensur more kids fd their forever hom. It all changed March 2016, when a feral judge overturned the gay adoptn ban Mississippi.

This was a monumental moment for gay adoptn laws the U. Whereas prr to 2016, there were stat where gay adoptn was illegal, now there are none.

As long as you meet the state requirements to adopt, you n move forward wh your adoptn stat allow gay adoptn for dividuals, married upl and upl a domtic unn. However, for unmarried upl who want to adopt a child (eher heterosexual or homosexual), ’s not always possible to do so jotly. In many of the stat where gay adoptn was illegal for so long, was bee requirements were based on maral stat, not sexual orientatn.

THE STAT WANT TO MAKE LGBT ADOPTN AS HARD AS POSSIBLEFAYKANSAS, OKLAHOMA, AND COLORADO WILL WEIGH LEGISLATN THAT WOULD ALLOW RELIGLY AFFILIATED CHILD-PLACEMENT AGENCI TO TURN AWAY SAME-SEX UPL, CG ‘RELIG EEDOM.’SAMANTHA ALLENUPDATED APR. 24, 2018 10:17AM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 24, 2018 4:38AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTIN THE THREE YEARS SCE THE SUPREME COURT LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE NATNWI, ANTI-LGBT GROUPS HAVE BEEN SPERATELY LOOKG FOR STATE-LEVEL VICTORI WHEREVER THEY N GET THEM.AND THIS YEAR, THEY’RE GOG AFTER FOSTER CHILDREN. Y, FOSTER CHILDREN.THREE STAT—KANSAS, OKLAHOMA, AND COLORADO—WILL SOON WEIGH ANTI-LGBT LEGISLATN THAT WOULD ALLOW RELIGLY-AFFILIATED CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI TO TURN AWAY SAME-SEX UPL LOOKG TO ADOPT OR FOSTER A CHILD UNR THE GUISE OF “RELIG EEDOM.”IN KANSAS, HB 2481, WHICH IS CURRENTLY MTEE, WOULD ALLOW CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI TO REFE TO “PARTICIPATE ANY PLACEMENT OF A CHILD FOR FOSTER RE OR ADOPTN” IF THAT PLACEMENT “WOULD VLATE SUCH AGENCY’S SCERELY HELD RELIG BELIEFS.” IN OKLAHOMA, SB 1140, WOULD E SIAR LANGUAGE TO GIVE CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI WI BERTH TO DISCRIMATE AGAST PROSPECTIVE FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE PARENTS BASED ON “THE AGENCY’S WRTEN RELIG OR MORAL NVICTNS OR POLICI.” THIS BILL ULD BE HEARD THE STATE LEGISLATURE AS EARLY AS THIS WEEK, LGBT ADVOT SAY.IN COLORADO, SB 241–A STANDALONE REMNANT OF THE RECENTLY-FAILED ANTI-LGBT “LIVE AND LET LIVE” ACT—WOULD ALLOW ADOPTN AND FOSTER RE AGENCI TO CLE SERVICE “ A MANNER NSISTENT WH A SCERELY HELD RELIG BELIEF OR MORAL NVICTN.” THE TEXT OF THE BILL PAR THE RIGHTS OF CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI TO DISCRIMATE AGAST LGBT PEOPLE TO “THE RIGHT OF QUAKERS AND OTHER PACIFISTS TO SERVE THE NATN AS NON BATANTS TIM OF WAR” AND TO “THE RIGHT OF JEWS AND OTHER SABBATH OBSERVERS TO DITE THEIR TIME TO GOD AND FAY STEAD OF WORK[G] ON THEIR SABBATH.” “WHAT MAK THIS FLAVOR OF ANTI-LGBT BILL PECIALLY PERNIC IS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO BEAR THE BNT OF SUCH LAWS ARE THE CHILDREN THE STATE FOSTER RE SYSTEM WHO LOSE OUT ON FAI THAT THEY SPERATELY NEED.” COLORADO’S BILL IS LLED THE “COLORADO CHILDREN FIRST ACT”—BUT LGBT ADVOT ARE QUICK TO POT OUT THAT SUCH PROSPECTIVE LAWS ACTUALLY PLACE CHILDREN SEND TO A BATE THAT HAS NOTHG TO DO WH THE QUALY OF PARENTG THEY WOULD RECEIVE.“WHAT MAK THIS FLAVOR OF ANTI-LGBT BILL PECIALLY PERNIC IS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO BEAR THE BNT OF SUCH LAWS ARE THE CHILDREN THE STATE FOSTER RE SYSTEM WHO LOSE OUT ON FAI THAT THEY SPERATELY NEED,” SAID AMERIN CIVIL LIBERTI UNN ATTORNEY LLIE COOPER ON A MONDAY PRS LL ABOUT THIS NEW WAVE OF LEGISLATN, ADDG THAT THERE ARE CURRENTLY OVER 100,000 CHILDREN THE UNTRY WAG TO BE PLACED WH ADOPTIVE AND FOSTER FAI.NOT ONLY DO THE BILLS TARGET CHILDREN, THEY REPRENT A SORT OF LAST RORT FOR ANTI-LGBT LAWMAKERS AND GROUPS, WHO HAVE SO FAR FAILED TO PASS ANY ANTI-LGBT STATE LAWS 2018. AS THE WASHGTON POST RECENTLY OBSERVED, THE LGBT MUNY THE U.S. IS ABOUT TO SURVIVE AN ENTIRE STATE LEGISLATIVE SSN WHOUT AN ANTI-LGBT BILL—LIKE NORTH CAROLA’S HB 2 OR MISSISSIPPI’S HB 1523—BEG LAW.IF ANY ONE OF THE THREE BILLS PASS, AS LGBT ADVOT ON MONDAY’S PRS LL POTED OUT, WOULD BEE THE FIRST ANTI-LGBT BILL TO BEE LAW 2018.INED, 2018 HAS MOSTLY SEEN A STRG OF STATE-LEVEL FEATS FOR ANTI-LGBT LAWMAKERS AND GROUPS: VOTERS ANCHORAGE, ALASKA TURNED DOWN AN ANTI-TRANSGENR BATHROOM IATIVE. CONVERSN THERAPY BANS ARE BEG PASSED LEFT AND RIGHT. AN ANTI-LGBT ADOPTN BILL GEIA THAT WAS BEG NSIRED EARLIER THIS YEAR—A BILL VERY SIAR TO THE CURRENTLY-PROPOSED LEGISLATN KANSAS, OKLAHOMA, AND COLORADO—DIED LATE MARCH AT THE END OF THE STATE LEGISLATIVE SSN.“NOW, ALL EY ARE ON THE REMAG STAT WHERE THERE ARE BILLS TARGETG LGBTQ PEOPLE AND PARTICULARLY TARGETG CHILDREN WHO WILL BE HARMED BY NOT HAVG THOSE PARENTS THE POOL OF POTENTIAL PARENTS THE SYSTEM,” SAID CATHRYN OAKLEY, STATE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN, LLG THE BILLS KANSAS, OKLAHOMA, AND COLORADO “PECIALLY EGREG” THEIR NTENT. IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT, JT AS ANTI-TRANSGENR BATHROOM BILLS ALMOST NEVER E THE WORD “TRANSGENR,” RELYG STEAD ON LANGUAGE LIKE “BLOGIL SEX” OR “ORIGAL BIRTH CERTIFITE,” NONE OF THE ANTI-LGBT ADOPTN BILLS ACTUALLY EXPLICLY MENTN SAME-SEX UPL NOR DO THEY E WORDS LIKE “GAY,” “LBIAN,” OR “BISEXUAL.” “THE BILLS ARE PART OF A BROAR EFFORT BY OPPONENTS OF LGBT EQUALY, BOTH STATE LEGISLATUR AND THE URTS, TO E RELIG EEDOM ARGUMENTS TO TABLISH A RIGHT TO DISCRIMATE AGAST LGBT PEOPLE.” BUT THE TENT BEHD THE REFULLY-WORD BILLS IS CLEAR OM THEIR TIMG: THEY STARTED CROPPG UP THE AFTERMATH OF THE 2015 OBERGEFELL CISN, AS ANTI-LGBT GROUPS BEGAN SHIFTG THEIR FOC OM MARRIAGE TO SENDARY TARGETS, LIKE BATHROOMS AND WEDDG K.“THE BILLS ARE PART OF A BROAR EFFORT BY OPPONENTS OF LGBT EQUALY, BOTH STATE LEGISLATUR AND THE URTS, TO E RELIG EEDOM ARGUMENTS TO TABLISH A RIGHT TO DISCRIMATE AGAST LGBT PEOPLE,” SAID COOPER.BEE THE LANGUAGE THE ANTI-LGBT BILLS IS SO BROAD—FULL OF SWEEPG APPEALS TO “MORAL NVICTN” AND “SCERELY-HELD RELIG BELIEFS”—THEY ULD ALSO ALLOW RELIGLY-AFFILIATED CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI TO NY NOT JT CISGENR GAY, LBIAN, AND BISEXUAL PARENTS, BUT TRANSGENR PARENTS, TOO. “THERE IS NO EXPLIC LANGUAGE THAT TALKS ABOUT TRANSGENR PEOPLE BUT FOR EACH OF THE BILLS, WHAT THEY’RE SAYG IS AN AGENCY DON’T NEED TO WORK WH ANYONE WH WHOM THEY HAVE A RELIG OBJECTN, ANYONE WHO DON’T MEET THEIR RELIG TT.” “THE ANSWER IS SENTIALLY Y,” SAID OAKLEY, WHEN ASKED BY THE DAILY BEAST WHETHER OR NOT THE BILLS WOULD ALLOW NIAL OF CHILD PLACEMENT TO FAI WH AT LEAST ONE PARENT IS TRANSGENR. “THERE IS NO EXPLIC LANGUAGE THAT TALKS ABOUT TRANSGENR PEOPLE BUT FOR EACH OF THE BILLS, WHAT THEY’RE SAYG IS AN AGENCY DON’T NEED TO WORK WH ANYONE WH WHOM THEY HAVE A RELIG OBJECTN, ANYONE WHO DON’T MEET THEIR RELIG TT.”“THAT ULD CLU ANY NUMBER OF PEOPLE—CLUDG BUT NOT LIMED TO LGBTQ PEOPLE AND SAME-SEX UPL,” OAKLEY ADD.IN FACT, THERE IS PRECENT FOR A STATE TO NSIR ANTI-TRANSGENR SENTIMENT A “MORAL NVICTN.” MISSISSIPPI’S HB 1523, WHICH IS STILL EFFECT PENDG LEGAL CHALLENG, SPECIFILLY ENUMERAT THE IA THAT BLOGIL SEX IS “IMMUTABLE” AS A PROTECTED “BELIEF OR NVICTN”—EVEN THOUGH TRANSN-RELATED MEDIL RE N MONSTRABLY CHANG A PERSON’S HORMONE LEVELS AND SEX CHARACTERISTICS.THERE ARE ALREADY SUBSTANTIAL OBSTACL STANDG THE WAY OF LGBT PEOPLE WHO WANT TO FOSTER OR ADOPT A CHILD.  AS LAMBDA LEGAL NOT, ONLY SIX STAT HAVE EXPLIC PROTECTNS FOR PROSPECTIVE TRANSGENR FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE PARENTS, WHICH MEANS THAT MOST TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE “VULNERABLE TO EXTRA SCTY OR NIAL SIMPLY FOR BEG TRANSGENR.” ONLY A HANDFUL OF ADDNAL STAT LIKE OREGON AND NEW YORK HAVE PROTECTNS BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATN ALONE.MEANWHILE, AS A RECENT USA TODAY REPORT POTED OUT, SEVEN STAT—TEXAS, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA,VIRGIA, MICHIGAN, ALABAMA, AND MISSISSIPPI—HAVE ALREADY RVED OUT ANTI-LGBT RELIG EXEMPTNS FOR CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCI. BILLS LIKE KANSAS’ HB 2481, OKLAHOMA’S SB 1140, AND COLORADO’S SB 241 WOULD ONLY ADD TO THAT NUMBER—AND MAKE HARR FOR LGBT PEOPLE TO RE FOR CHILDREN NEED. SAMANTHA ALLEN

While is unnstutnal for married same-sex upl to be nied the right to adopt by a state agency, unfortunately, there are several stat which have passed laws agast gay adoptn based on relig eedom. This way, you n be rmed about your lol gay adoptn laws and any laws agast gay adoptn that might apply to your suatn. Florida’s 1977 ban on gay adoptn had only recently been overturned when the Nurs began lookg to take foster children 2011 wh the hope of ultimately adoptg them.

While same-sex upl have long been able to adopt om private, gay-iendly adoptn agenci, adoptg children om the foster re system has proved more difficult some stat. “Marriage don’t create this pletely certa playg field, ” said Ellen Kahn, director of the children, youth and fai program at the Human Rights Campaign, which advot for gay rights. And some stat have taken up legislatn that would allow taxpayer-fund ntractors that oversee state adoptns to refe to let gay or lbian dividuals adopt children if nflicts wh the anizatn’s relig beliefs.

The uple found they were limed which ntractors they uld work wh bee some wouldn’t allow gay and lbian upl to adopt. And though Florida’s ban on gay adoptn was overturned 2010, the Nurs were unable to marry the state until this year. All but Arkansas and Tennsee also had polici that did not allow gay and lbian upl to adopt foster children jotly, acrdg to the Human Rights Campaign.