From foster to 'forever' parents: One gay uple's path to adoptn | SBS News

Contents:

• FIRST GAY UPLE ADOPT WA
• GAY ADOPTN DIVIS MUNY
• FROM FOSTER TO 'FOREVER' PARENTS: ONE GAY UPLE'S PATH TO ADOPTNDPE SAME-SEX ADOPTN BEG LEGAL ACROSS THE ENTIRE UNTRY - AND WA LEADG THE WAY 16 YEARS AGO - 'S FAR OM AN EASY ROAD TO CREATG A FAY.THE UPCROFTS ON A FAY HOLIDAY. SOURCE: SUPPLIEDTHIS MONTH THE NORTHERN TERRORY BEME THE LAST OF ATRALIA'S STAT AND TERRORI TO LET GAY UPL ADOPT. THE TERRORY PARLIAMENT AGREED TO CHANGE AN ADOPTN LAW THAT HAD PREVLY LIMED THE RIGHT TO ADOPT CHILDREN TO MARRIED HETEROSEXUAL UPL, OR THOSE TRADNAL ABORIGAL MARRIAG.IN ALAI, FLRS UNIVERSY ASSOCIATE PROFSOR DAMIEN RIGGS HAS REARCHED FOSTER RE AND ADOPTN ATRALIA AND SAYS THERE ARE STILL SOME BARRIERS TO SAME-SEX ADOPTN.HE SAYS FOSTER-RE AGENCI N STILL REJECT APPLITNS OM LGBTIQ PEOPLE ON RELIG GROUNDS, RCG THE RAT OF ADOPTN BY SAME-SEX UPL. "THERE STILL IS A POSSIBILY THAT SOME AGENCI WOULD SAY, 'NO, WE WON'T ASSS THAT ONE,' SO THAT HAS KNOCK-ON EFFECTS FOR ADOPTN, IF 'S ADOPTN OM RE," DR RIGGS SAYS. "IF YOU N'T BEE A RER THE FIRST PLACE, THEN THAT'S GOG TO LIM YOUR ADOPTN OPTNS." DR RIGGS SAYS, WHILE THE LEGAL BARRIERS TO ADOPTN FOR SAME-SEX UPL ARE GONE, GAS REPRODUCTIVE MEDICE MEAN MANY LGBTIQ PEOPLE MAY TAKE THE SCIENTIFIC ROUTE TO CREATG A FAY."IT'S TERTG WHICH ONE HAS BEEN TAKEN UP MORE, AND I WOULD SAY THAT FOSTER RE AND ADOPTN HAS BEEN TAKEN UP LS MONLY BY LBIAN AND GAY UPL THAN HAS IVF OR SURROGACY."MAKG THE UPCROFTS AN OFFICIAL FAYEARLY ON THEIR RELATNSHIP PL AND BRENDAN UPCROFT CID THEY WANTED TO HAVE CHILDREN, A DREAM THEY HAVE ACHIEVED, FIRSTLY THROUGH FOSTERG AND, FALLY THROUGH ADOPTN. FOR THE UPLE, ADOPTG THEIR TWO FOSTER CHILDREN - SIBLGS AIDAN AND KALEB - BROUGHT A EP SENSE OF RELIEF.THE UPCROFTS ON THE DAY THE ADOPTN WAS OFFICIALLY FALISED. SOURCE: SUPPLIEDTHE TWO BOYS, AGED 13 AND 11, HAD BEEN THEIR RE SCE 2014, BUT ADOPTN WAS THE FAL STEP THE FORMATN OF THE FAY OM THE NEW SOUTH WAL REGNAL CY OF MALAND.PL UPCROFT SAYS THAT WHEN HE HAD ASKED HIS YOUNGT SON HOW HE FELT ABOUT THE ADOPTN, HE RPOND WH RERVED ENTHIASM. "KALEB, WE MENTNED TO HIM THAT FRIDAY'S THE DAY WE'RE GOG TO THE URT TO SEE THE JUDGE," MR UPCROFT RELLS.BROTHERS KALEB AND AIDAN WERE FOSTER RE FOR NE YEARS BEFORE THEY WERE ADOPTED BY BRENDAN AND PL UPCROFT. SOURCE: SUPPLIED"IT JT SORT OF WENT OVER HIM. AND I ASKED HIM THE NEXT DAY, AND HE SAID, 'OH, 'S ALL ON THE SI, 'S ALL ON THE SI.' SO, THEY LOVE BEG PART OF THE UPCROFT FAY." ATRALIAN INSTUTE OF HEALTH AND WELFARE STATISTICS SHOW MORE THAN 46,000 ATRALIAN CHILDREN NOW LIVE OUT-OF-HOME RE, WH MORE THAN 40 PER CENT RE FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS. KALEB AND AIDAN HAVE SPENT MUCH OF THEIR SHORT LIV FOSTER RE, TOO, BUT, WHEN BOTH AGREED TO BE ADOPTED BY THE UPCROFTS, THE CHANGE WAS MA. BRENDAN UPCROFT SAYS, FOR HIS PARTNER AND HIM, WAS ABOUT GIVG THE BOYS A SENSE OF SECURY. "THE OTHER DRIVER BEHD MOVG TO ADOPTN WAS THE STABILY THAT PROVIS OUR SONS. AIDAN AND KALEB HAVE NOW BEEN FOSTER RE FOR ALMOST NE YEARS. AND WHILST 'S BEEN A VERY STABLE THREE-AND-A-HALF YEARS LIVG WH , ALWAYS HANGG OVER THEIR HEADS IS THE FACT THAT THGS ULD CHANGE, THE AGENCY ULD SUDNLY E AND SAY TO THEM, 'RIGHT, WE NEED TO MOVE YOU TO A DIFFERENT PLACEMENT.'"NOW, THEY HAVE STABILY, AND THEY'LL BE WH THEIR PARENTS NOW FOREVER."BLOGIL PARENTS N STILL PLAY A ROLE CHILDREN'S LIVDPE THE CREASGLY LONG-TERM NATURE OF OUT-OF-HOME RE, FEW LONG-TERM PLACEMENTS LEAD TO ADOPTN.LAST YEAR, JT 315 ADOPTNS WERE FALISED ATRALIA, CLUDG TERNATNAL ADOPTNS, WH ABOUT 45 PER CENT BY KNOWN RERS SUCH AS FOSTER PARENTS OR RELATIV.AMONG LOL ADOPTNS, ABOUT 88 PER CENT ALLOW SOME GREE OF NTACT OR THE EXCHANGE OF RMATN BETWEEN BLOGIL AND ADOPTIVE FAI.BRENDAN UPCROFT SAY ADOPTN HAS GIVEN THE BOYS SECURY. SOURCE: SUPPLIEDTHE UPCROFTS SAY THEY THK IS IMPORTANT THEIR SONS MATA NTACT WH THEIR BIRTH MOTHER."WE HAVE A REALLY FLUID RELATNSHIP WH THEIR BIRTH MUM," BRENDAN UPCROFT SAYS."WE MA A LOT OF MMENTS TO HER OM OUR VERY FIRST MEETG, AND WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THOSE MMENTS HAVE BEEN MET OR, SOME S, SURPASSED. THE DAYS, 'S LS OF A VISATN SCHLE AND MORE OF JT AN ARRANGEMENT WHEREBY WE TCH UP."THE BIRTH MOTHER RECENTLY SPENT AN ENTIRE DAY WH THE BOYS AND HAS JOED THEM FOR BIRTHDAYS. SHARE4 M READPUBLISHED 23 MARCH 2018 2:21PMUPDATED 26 MARCH 2018 7:38AMBY PEGGY GIAKOUMELOSTAGSSOCIAL ISSUSHARE THIS WH FAY AND IENDSCOPY LKSHAREREMEND FOR YOU

FIRST GAY UPLE ADOPT WA

The landmark adoptn of a boy by two gay men Wtern Atralia has spl the muny over children's rights and adoptn by same sex adoptn by two men of a stranger's child is believed to be a first for Atralia and has been hailed as "groundbreakg" by the WA ernment and gay rights the state opposn and a Christian lobby group say the rights of the child have been adoptn follows chang to the state's adoptn act 2002, allowg same sex upl to adopt Attorney-General Jim McGty, who stigated the laws, said the adoptn was a major breakthrough that went ahead wh the full nsent of the child's birth mother. "This shouldn't have been about the rights of gay upl, should be about the rights of a child to have the fluence of a mother and father, " Mr Birney said. "We thk the WA and ACT laws that allow gay adoptn are dismissive of the children's rights, " Mr Wallace said.

GAY ADOPTN DIVIS MUNY

"Pasl Amberville-Colby, -print of gay rights group Pri WA, said Mr Wallace was gay men and lbians who had been heterosexual relatnships wh children and later "me out" still had a role raisg their child, Mr Amberville-Colby said. THE landmark adoptn of a boy by two gay men Wtern Atralia has spl the muny over children's rights and adoptn by same sex adoptn by two men of a stranger's child is believed to be a first for Atralia and has been hailed as "groundbreakg'' by the WA ernment and gay rights of Perthnow rears have add heat to the bate - many strintly opposed to gay adoptns, but dozens supportive of the historic the state opposn and a Christian lobby group say the rights of the child have been adoptn follows chang to the state's adoptn act 2002, allowg same sex upl to adopt Attorney-General Jim McGty, who stigated the laws, said the adoptn was a major breakthrough that went ahead wh the full nsent of the child's birth mother. "This shouldn't have been about the rights of gay upl, should be about the rights of a child to have the fluence of a mother and father, '' Mr Birney said.

FROM FOSTER TO 'FOREVER' PARENTS: ONE GAY UPLE'S PATH TO ADOPTNDPE SAME-SEX ADOPTN BEG LEGAL ACROSS THE ENTIRE UNTRY - AND WA LEADG THE WAY 16 YEARS AGO - 'S FAR OM AN EASY ROAD TO CREATG A FAY.THE UPCROFTS ON A FAY HOLIDAY. SOURCE: SUPPLIEDTHIS MONTH THE NORTHERN TERRORY BEME THE LAST OF ATRALIA'S STAT AND TERRORI TO LET GAY UPL ADOPT. THE TERRORY PARLIAMENT AGREED TO CHANGE AN ADOPTN LAW THAT HAD PREVLY LIMED THE RIGHT TO ADOPT CHILDREN TO MARRIED HETEROSEXUAL UPL, OR THOSE TRADNAL ABORIGAL MARRIAG.IN ALAI, FLRS UNIVERSY ASSOCIATE PROFSOR DAMIEN RIGGS HAS REARCHED FOSTER RE AND ADOPTN ATRALIA AND SAYS THERE ARE STILL SOME BARRIERS TO SAME-SEX ADOPTN.HE SAYS FOSTER-RE AGENCI N STILL REJECT APPLITNS OM LGBTIQ PEOPLE ON RELIG GROUNDS, RCG THE RAT OF ADOPTN BY SAME-SEX UPL. "THERE STILL IS A POSSIBILY THAT SOME AGENCI WOULD SAY, 'NO, WE WON'T ASSS THAT ONE,' SO THAT HAS KNOCK-ON EFFECTS FOR ADOPTN, IF 'S ADOPTN OM RE," DR RIGGS SAYS. "IF YOU N'T BEE A RER THE FIRST PLACE, THEN THAT'S GOG TO LIM YOUR ADOPTN OPTNS." DR RIGGS SAYS, WHILE THE LEGAL BARRIERS TO ADOPTN FOR SAME-SEX UPL ARE GONE, GAS REPRODUCTIVE MEDICE MEAN MANY LGBTIQ PEOPLE MAY TAKE THE SCIENTIFIC ROUTE TO CREATG A FAY."IT'S TERTG WHICH ONE HAS BEEN TAKEN UP MORE, AND I WOULD SAY THAT FOSTER RE AND ADOPTN HAS BEEN TAKEN UP LS MONLY BY LBIAN AND GAY UPL THAN HAS IVF OR SURROGACY."MAKG THE UPCROFTS AN OFFICIAL FAYEARLY ON THEIR RELATNSHIP PL AND BRENDAN UPCROFT CID THEY WANTED TO HAVE CHILDREN, A DREAM THEY HAVE ACHIEVED, FIRSTLY THROUGH FOSTERG AND, FALLY THROUGH ADOPTN. FOR THE UPLE, ADOPTG THEIR TWO FOSTER CHILDREN - SIBLGS AIDAN AND KALEB - BROUGHT A EP SENSE OF RELIEF.THE UPCROFTS ON THE DAY THE ADOPTN WAS OFFICIALLY FALISED. SOURCE: SUPPLIEDTHE TWO BOYS, AGED 13 AND 11, HAD BEEN THEIR RE SCE 2014, BUT ADOPTN WAS THE FAL STEP THE FORMATN OF THE FAY OM THE NEW SOUTH WAL REGNAL CY OF MALAND.PL UPCROFT SAYS THAT WHEN HE HAD ASKED HIS YOUNGT SON HOW HE FELT ABOUT THE ADOPTN, HE RPOND WH RERVED ENTHIASM. "KALEB, WE MENTNED TO HIM THAT FRIDAY'S THE DAY WE'RE GOG TO THE URT TO SEE THE JUDGE," MR UPCROFT RELLS.BROTHERS KALEB AND AIDAN WERE FOSTER RE FOR NE YEARS BEFORE THEY WERE ADOPTED BY BRENDAN AND PL UPCROFT. SOURCE: SUPPLIED"IT JT SORT OF WENT OVER HIM. AND I ASKED HIM THE NEXT DAY, AND HE SAID, 'OH, 'S ALL ON THE SI, 'S ALL ON THE SI.' SO, THEY LOVE BEG PART OF THE UPCROFT FAY." ATRALIAN INSTUTE OF HEALTH AND WELFARE STATISTICS SHOW MORE THAN 46,000 ATRALIAN CHILDREN NOW LIVE OUT-OF-HOME RE, WH MORE THAN 40 PER CENT RE FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS. KALEB AND AIDAN HAVE SPENT MUCH OF THEIR SHORT LIV FOSTER RE, TOO, BUT, WHEN BOTH AGREED TO BE ADOPTED BY THE UPCROFTS, THE CHANGE WAS MA. BRENDAN UPCROFT SAYS, FOR HIS PARTNER AND HIM, WAS ABOUT GIVG THE BOYS A SENSE OF SECURY. "THE OTHER DRIVER BEHD MOVG TO ADOPTN WAS THE STABILY THAT PROVIS OUR SONS. AIDAN AND KALEB HAVE NOW BEEN FOSTER RE FOR ALMOST NE YEARS. AND WHILST 'S BEEN A VERY STABLE THREE-AND-A-HALF YEARS LIVG WH , ALWAYS HANGG OVER THEIR HEADS IS THE FACT THAT THGS ULD CHANGE, THE AGENCY ULD SUDNLY E AND SAY TO THEM, 'RIGHT, WE NEED TO MOVE YOU TO A DIFFERENT PLACEMENT.'"NOW, THEY HAVE STABILY, AND THEY'LL BE WH THEIR PARENTS NOW FOREVER."BLOGIL PARENTS N STILL PLAY A ROLE CHILDREN'S LIVDPE THE CREASGLY LONG-TERM NATURE OF OUT-OF-HOME RE, FEW LONG-TERM PLACEMENTS LEAD TO ADOPTN.LAST YEAR, JT 315 ADOPTNS WERE FALISED ATRALIA, CLUDG TERNATNAL ADOPTNS, WH ABOUT 45 PER CENT BY KNOWN RERS SUCH AS FOSTER PARENTS OR RELATIV.AMONG LOL ADOPTNS, ABOUT 88 PER CENT ALLOW SOME GREE OF NTACT OR THE EXCHANGE OF RMATN BETWEEN BLOGIL AND ADOPTIVE FAI.BRENDAN UPCROFT SAY ADOPTN HAS GIVEN THE BOYS SECURY. SOURCE: SUPPLIEDTHE UPCROFTS SAY THEY THK IS IMPORTANT THEIR SONS MATA NTACT WH THEIR BIRTH MOTHER."WE HAVE A REALLY FLUID RELATNSHIP WH THEIR BIRTH MUM," BRENDAN UPCROFT SAYS."WE MA A LOT OF MMENTS TO HER OM OUR VERY FIRST MEETG, AND WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THOSE MMENTS HAVE BEEN MET OR, SOME S, SURPASSED. THE DAYS, 'S LS OF A VISATN SCHLE AND MORE OF JT AN ARRANGEMENT WHEREBY WE TCH UP."THE BIRTH MOTHER RECENTLY SPENT AN ENTIRE DAY WH THE BOYS AND HAS JOED THEM FOR BIRTHDAYS. SHARE4 M READPUBLISHED 23 MARCH 2018 2:21PMUPDATED 26 MARCH 2018 7:38AMBY PEGGY GIAKOUMELOSTAGSSOCIAL ISSUSHARE THIS WH FAY AND IENDSCOPY LKSHAREREMEND FOR YOU

"We thk the WA and ACT laws that allow gay adoptn are dismissive of the children's rights, '' Mr Wallace said.

''Pasl Amberville-Colby, -print of gay rights group Pri WA, said Mr Wallace was gay men and lbians who had been heterosexual relatnships wh children and later"me out'' still had a role raisg their child, Mr Amberville-Colby said. Atralia SurveysLGB Demographics of Atralians scribed themselv as beg gay, lbian or bisexual of Atralians agree trans people serve the same rights and protectns as other Atralians of Atralians agree that young people should be able to accs healthre that supports them to live as their te selv.

Current statSce May 1, 1997Legal In 1997 the High Court of Atralia led that Tasmania's anti-gay laws were nsistent wh feral law, and Tasmania (the fal jurisdictn wh ntrary laws) was forced to crimalise by RegnHomosexual activy was ferally crimalized by the Human Rights (Sexual Conduct) Act 1994, although some lol state laws remaed nsent until marriage Atralia?

This month the Northern Terrory beme the last of Atralia's stat and terrori to let gay upl adopt. "It's tertg which one has been taken up more, and I would say that foster re and adoptn has been taken up ls monly by lbian and gay upl than has IVF or surrogacy.

Most importantly to Tom, he holds the tle of “out and proud gay hband and father” and he enjoys nothg more than spendg time wh his hband Jimmy and their children, Las and Maya. On 21 March 2002, the Acts Amendment (Lbian and Gay Law Reform) Act 2002 was passed and me to effect on 20 September 2002.