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Gay adoption law to change in Florida?
Judge's hammer
New case could pave way for change in Floridaââ¬â¢s gay adoption law
"While gay and lesbian people are entitled to foster children in Florida, they are not allowed to adopt. "
A court in Florida has allowed a gay man to adopt his two foster children. The ruling goes against current state law that bans homosexuals from adopting children.
It is hoped that the decision reached by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman will prompt a review of the current law, which is decades old.
While gay and lesbian people are entitled to foster children in Florida, they are not allowed to adopt. Florida is the only state that specifically bans gay and lesbians from this right.
Executive director of the Family Equality Council, said:
"Judge Lederman's ruling is a long-overdue recognition of the equal ability of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to raise happy, healthy families. LGBT parents are raising millions of children nationwide.
"We want only to be given the same opportunities and legal protections other families have so that we may best take care of ourselves.
"Florida's ban on all gays and lesbians adopting has long stood in the face of more than twenty-five years of social science research that shows no difference in the abilities of LGBT and straight parents.”
Barack Obama, President-elect of the United States, has long been a supporter of gay families, stating:
"A child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not”
Approximately 65,500 children in America are currently being raised by homosexual parents, accounting for just 4% of all children up for adoption in the country. Three percent are being raised by single lesbians and gay men, and only 1% by same-sex couples.
