Lbian and gay foster re and adoptn: what’s changed over the last 20 years?

Contents:

• A TIMELE OF GAY RIGHTS THE UK
• LBIAN AND GAY FOSTER RE AND ADOPTN: WHAT’S CHANGED OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS?
• FRENCH GAY UPL GET RIGHT TO 'MARRY, ADOPT CHILDREN'
• KEY DAT FOR LBIAN, GAY, BI AND TRANS EQUALY

A TIMELE OF GAY RIGHTS THE UK

Last year, more than one five children adopted through Coram were placed wh lovg lbian, gay, bi or trans adopters.

This was particularly te of gay dads, many of whom thought their sexual inty was patible wh parenthood – spe havg always felt paternal. Rearch published by CoramBAAF actually suggts that gay fathers show greater levels of teractn wh their child than other typ of parents. The CoramBAAF Bookshop has a range of books for parents and children themed around adoptn and fosterg, wh a specific topic area for lbian and gay fai.

Speakg durg the parliamentary bate the Hoe of Lords, Barons O’Catha said: "By extendg the tegory of would-be adopters to clu homosexual upl of both genrs and habg heterosexuals, I ntend that the Bill is now beg ed as an stment of social engeerg... And Cardal Murphy-O'Connor, head of the Catholic Church England and Wal, wrote to Cabet misters sayg Catholic adoptn agenci "would not be able to rec and nsir homosexual upl as potential adoptive parents. In fact, most of the important moments the history of gay adoptn have only happened the last 40 the 1970s and 1980s (when the gay rights movement really began to take hold), homosexualy was somethg that was rarely discsed and even illegal some plac.

LBIAN AND GAY FOSTER RE AND ADOPTN: WHAT’S CHANGED OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS?

Add to that the secrecy surroundg adoptn general, and you n see why gay adoptn history is srce until the send half of the 20th century. It wasn’t until the civil rights era of the 1970s and 1980s that the history of gay adoptn and gay civil rights general really started to mark monumental events. As LGBT dividuals began to fight for their right to marry and have children, they also faced discrimatn om heterosexual and homosexual dividuals alike.

The first step towards equaly gay adoptn me as dividual stat passed laws to make homosexual marriage legal, wh Massachetts beg the first state to do so 2003. The act, which crimalised homosexual sex acts between nsentg men over the age of 21, opened the door to a slew of legal and social chang which would transform the way Brish society viewed same-sex relatnships over the next 50 are some of the key dat the history of gay rights the UK:1533: The Buggery Act, the first ever law to specifilly outlaw anal sex, was signed to English law. The same year Wilblood was the only openly gay man to ttify before Lord Wolfenn's quiry, which would ultimately remend the crimalisatn of homosexualy.

FRENCH GAY UPL GET RIGHT TO 'MARRY, ADOPT CHILDREN'

1957: The Wolfenn mtee published s report, based on three years of ttimony om police, psychiatrists and gay men but one of the mtee's 15 members, drawn om the world of polics, law, medice and amia, agreed that homosexual acts between nsentg men over the age of legal majory - 21 at the time - should not be a matter for the law.

KEY DAT FOR LBIAN, GAY, BI AND TRANS EQUALY

Dpe cross-party support for the Act, MPs were hardly lg up to accept homosexualy as a legimate orientatn. "Even those supportg crimalisatn lled homosexualy 'a disabily' and 'a great weight of shame', " says the Huffgton Post.