EVER SINCE Rosie O'Donnell came out as a way of showing her support for Steve Lofton and Roger Croteau, their plight has been in the national spotlight. They are suing the state of Florida for the right to adopt a child together. The state of Florida has banned the adoption of children by gays, and this law, while enacted as a way to protect children, only is hurting more of them in the long run. Such laws should be overturned, and gays should not be deprived of the right to raise children, not only because they are just as qualified as heterosexuals, but also because there are so many in need of loving homes.
Florida, along with the states of Mississippi and Utah, explicitly contends that gays cannot adopt children. This statute has existed since 1977, and argues that "married heterosexual families provide children with a more stable home environment, proper gender identification and less social stigmatization than homosexual homes." The state claims that it is in the child's "best interest" to live in a heterosexual atmosphere.
There are two primary reasons why this ban on allowing gays to adopt is wrong. First, the fact that legislators created this law to protect adopted children is inconclusive. Although the blunt stereotypes against gays point to instability and identity confusion in a homosexual household, psychological studies say otherwise. According to the American Psychological Association, there is no hard evidence indicating that homosexual households have any effect on a child's sexuality. Charlotte Patterson of the University compiled the evidence for the APA's belief on the subject.
Patterson's compilation of many people's research shows that for the majority of children raised in lesbian households from ages 5-14, they did not experience gender confusion. The children surveyed all showed signs that their gender identity was progressing normally, and a more direct study showed that the children were happy with their gender, and possessed no desire to be the opposite gender. All surveys of these children fell into normal ranges of sexual identity. One particular survey which Patterson cited in her summary, polled the adult sons of gay men, and found that 90 percent of them considered themselves to be heterosexual (http://www.apa.org/pi/parent.html). Just as it should be, the effect of a parent's sexuality appears to be a non-factor in the raising of children.
The second main reason why the Florida law should be overturned is the sheer number of children that are available for adoption. There are thousands of unwanted children in Africa and Asia, both of which are experiencing uncontrollable population booms and overcrowding in certain areas. When this is coupled with the many shelters in America that house scores of unwanted children, the problem is obvious. If there are loving parents who are willing to take care of these children, why is Florida preventing these children from having a more stable home than a shelter? Children's lives are at stake, and the Florida ban may mean an unstable life in numerous shelters for a child until he turns 18. At this point, he will be thrust into the world with no parents that loved him and no home except for the shelter that gave him impersonalized attention.
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The sheer number of children that could be adopted is staggering. In Florida alone, there are 3400 children that could be adopted at this moment according to Matt Coles, Director of the ACLU (http://www.aclu.org/news/2002/n021402a.html). A prime example of the problem overseas, although it is certainly not the only one, is the case of the People's Republic of China. The problem with China's population dates back to the mid-1900s, when China experienced a population increase without a subsequent boom in food production. As a result, millions starved, and population restrictions and pressure from the government caused many children, especially girls, to become abandoned. Families with Children From China, Americans Adopting Orphans, and many other organizations around the world offer chances for Americans to give such children a better life (www.orphans.com). However, many loving parents are not given this opportunity as a result of the ban.
Granted, as the Florida ban stated, there comes the social oppression when one is the son or daughter of a gay couple. Homosexuality is not considered acceptable by the majority of Americans, and the schoolyard taunts piled upon the respective child are almost guaranteed. However, this should not stop gays from taking kids into a stable and loving household when there are thousands in need of the love and care. All of the studies that have been done are contrary to stereotypes, and the debate over whether a child should have two mothers seems ridiculous when compared with the fact that some children never had a mother to begin with.
(Kevin James Wong's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at kwong@cavalierdaily.com.)
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