Oceanbreeze

Florida Law Against Gay Adoptions Stands
State Is Only One to Prohibit Homosexuals From Adopting Children
By GINA HOLLAND, AP

WASHINGTON (Jan. 10) - The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday by four men who challenged Florida's ban on adoption by gay couples, avoiding another contentious fight over gay rights.

Florida is the only state with a blanket law prohibiting homosexuals from adopting children, but the high court was told that other states could now feel free to copy the ban.

Opponents argued that the 1977 law, passed at the height of Anita Bryant's anti-homosexual campaign, was irrational because it excluded potential parents for thousands of abandoned children.

Supporters contend the state has the power to promote traditional father-mother families.

The high court's refusal to hear the case, made without comment, avoids a second showdown over gay rights there in two years. Justices, in a historic civil rights ruling, barred states in 2003 from criminalizing gay sex. The court said then that states "cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime."

The ruling set off a firestorm of criticism by conservative and religious groups. Three justices also complained that the court, generally known for its conservatism, had gone overboard in pandering to the "homosexual agenda."

The latest case involves gay foster parents in Florida who want to adopt children in their care.



AP
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush maintains children are best served by a mother and a father.

The American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, representing the parents, argued that that the state unconstitutionally singles out gays, based on discrimination.

"The plain and well-understood purpose of the ban was to tell gay people to go back into the closet," ACLU attorney Matthew Coles told justices in a filing.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has maintained that the children, often products of troubled and unstable backgrounds, should have a father and a mother.

"It is rational to believe that children need male and female influences to develop optimally, particularly in the areas of sexual and gender identity, and heterosexual role modeling," justices were told in a filing by Florida's attorney, Casey Walker.

A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta ruled against the men a year ago. In July, the full court declined on a 6-6 vote to reconsider the case.

"The message to the other states is you can follow Florida's lead with policies that encourage kids to be placed with moms and dads," said Mathew Staver, president of the Liberty Counsel, a conservative, Orlando, Fla.-based law group.

Opponents of the law said they were ready to combat efforts to copy it.

"Whether kids should have two moms or two dads, it's always been a fake argument. What all the professional organizations say is sexual orientation has nothing to do with whether someone is a good or bad parent," Coles said.

Florida allows gays to be foster parents, but not permanent parents.

The Child Welfare League of America had urged the Supreme Court to review the restriction and defended the parenting abilities of gays. League attorney Stuart Delery said that Florida allows singles, divorcees, people which disabilities, and even in some cases convicted criminals to adopt. The state had more than 8,000 children awaiting adoption in fiscal 2002, while there were 126,000 nationwide, Delery said.

By excluding gays, he said, "Florida ensures that many children will never have a family of their own."

The case is Lofton v. Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families, 04-478.


01/10/05 12:33 EST


This really burns me! It's widely known that Florida's Child Welfare System is totally screwed up. Now, Florida wants to discriminate against gays and prevent kids from going to loving homes?

MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE TO ME!!

Deafness

__________________
This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members.
Register your free account today and become a member on AllDeaf.com

Gemtun

"Florida allows gays to be foster parents, but not permanent parents."

Very stoooooooooooooopid because they allow gay parents to be foster parents, spend time bonding with kids only to see them snatched away for adoption by other parents.

I ve seen many gay people being WONDERFUL parents whereas I ve seen some straight people being lousy parents - it all boils down to individual, not sexual orientation.

Recently a local foster parent starved a 4 year old toddler and that really pissed me off. Seems like more and more foster parents are being arrested for crimes done to the children. I really believe that many, not all, become foster parents only because they want to get money from the State for themselves.

System is corrupt for sure.

Fly Free

i agree Ocean! it does piss me off -- u can betcha the Lambda Legal team will fight this along with other organizations would fight -- there are also SO MANY foster parents who should have NEVER been foster parents and theyre straight -- gay foster parents should be able to prove themselves with the system thats VERY VERY obviously homophobic

Fly Free

VERY VERY VERY fucking corrupt period!

Oceanbreeze

I sincerely hope that this ban is eventually overturned. I have known about the ban for quite awhile, but what I didn't know was, Florida is the only state in the country with such a ban in place!

I'm disgusted that I live in such a narrowminded state such as this.

Oceanbreeze

It is stupid, Meg. And, it makes you wonder, if a gay couple is deemed worthy enough to be FOSTER PARENTS, why aren't they deemed worthy enough to adopt the children they care for?

Oh, I gotta get outta this thread, and stop looking at this or I'm gonna get all over again!

This really just infuriates me to NO END!

Fly Free

this is good for the homophobes that should take it --

Attached Images

homophobia vaccine.jpg (18.4 KB, 9 views)

Oceanbreeze

Oh, you're bad, Fly! But, I love it!!!

But, you know, seriously. I agree with you!

People need stop being so damned discriminatory, and there may only be one way for that to happen...your vaccine.

Fly Free

RIGHT on Ocean!!!

TTT

Lesbians can adopt... because they have maternity instinct.

But gay men, I don't think they should adopt...
because babies or children can't really adjust to men.

Oceanbreeze

Okay, so you're saying that men aren't capable of child rearing, because, they are men? And, only women should raise kids, because, they are women?

Gimme a break!

TTT

Well then why people don't think Michael Jackson should not sleep in bed
with children?

Would you want children to sleep with men...???
What if children get too scare to sleep by themselves...
And they climb in their gay fathers's bed.

Would that be alittle creepy?

Oceanbreeze

What? You're not making a lick of sense here, TTT.

First of all, I posted this thread, because, I think the ban on gay adoptions is discriminatory and wrong. The ban is quite possibly harmful to our kids, because, there's not enough permanent loving homes for kids in the foster care system.

Secondly... Michael Jackson is quite possibly a pedophile, which has no bearing on sexual preference at ALL.

And, thirdly... Yes, if a gay man has a child, I would think it quite appropriate for that child to crawl in bed with his father.

Just because someone is gay, TTT, doesn't make them a deviant. In fact, quite a few pedophiles are HETEROSEXUAL. Sexual preference has absolutely NOTHING to do with sexual abuse.

Gemtun

First of all, Michael Jacksons situation has nothing do with this issue. Michael Jackson is not a foster parent, he simply invited children over and asked them to sleep with him in his bed or read pornographic magazines with him.

Gay parents do not equal pedophiles. There are many fathers who molested their daughters and they have wives.

Florida has this ban only beacuse they felt that gay people would not make fit parents, not because they are afraid of molestations but because they simply are homophobic.

I see so many straight foster parents abusing the hell out of kids - starvation, beatings, neglect, so on.

So please dont lump that Jackson into this issue.

TTT

everytime I wanted to go to sleep with my grandparents' bed.
My granddad always got up and slept in other room. He knew
that it is wrong
for him to sleep with children.

Foster children can take care of themselves.
Look at the black woman on the Young and the Restless...
Victoria Rowell was never adopted and she grew up in the Orphanage and
sometimes foster homes.
She played Drusilla...
She is doing just fine.

And when I ran away from home, the cop picked me up off the interstate...
because it was illegal for me to walk. I was 16 years old. And they
put me in the foster home, temporarily. Until my cousin picked me up.
I met children there and they are happy and healthy, well taken care of by
foster mother.

My cousin worked as social worker, she own some part of Foster home system... she put children in foster homes with people she trust.

Maybe you can do that, that is a good job business... You can asked your
friends or someone if they can allow children in their home...
And the goverment will pay you and the foster parents for taking
care of children.

Oceanbreeze

Have you ever listened to the news? You are either living in a dream world, or you have a very distorted sense of reality.

Vance

It is insane for you to say that. Some dads took care of their children two or three times better than some women. I am not gay but I would take care of my children much better than some men or even women. I believe you read several news about mothers who harm or murdered their children. Is it because of their maternity instinct?

Not all of men are bad... not all of women are bad... Like what Meg said, I wish that you have to stop lumping bad and good men/or women into one group.

Believe it or not, men does have maternity instinct. Buy some books that related to child(ren) development and read.

Vance

[sarcasm]Praise the Lord for ignorance! Praise the Lord for retarded homophobia![/sarcasm]

That is totally stupid... As others said, the system is totally corrupted.

Gemtun

That was unfair to say that babies or children cannot adjust to men because you are doing discredit to millions of loving fathers out there.

You would be surprised to see how many mothers dont have maternal instincts and dont do a good parenting job. Just because one is a female doesnt mean she is automatic a good mother. It takes much more than that.I have many female friends who whine/complain about their kids and would rather go out dancing or shopping than tending to kids.

Even though I grew up with 4 stepfathers and a distant biological father, I never lumped all men into one category. I never had a loving father as I was treated harshly by all except one. But It was just in my situation as you have your own personal situation with your father too but it doesnt give us right to slam all men.

Oceanbreeze

I made this thread, because, I was apalled at the decision that was rendered, and wanted to get thoughts on the subject. I DID NOT make this thread just so some could add to the abundance of homophobic statements that we are all exposed to in our daily lives.

Magastu, I'm not referring to you. I just saw your thread, and agreed. And, wanted to sound off alittle.

*sigh* Now, please lets all get back to the topic at hand, and leave MJ, pedophilia, and any sexists remarks out of this, please. I don't want to see this thread closed, because, this topic is too important.

Gemtun

Amen ..Im guilty as charged for going off on topic to defend some issues. I just pray that Raven wont enter this and say it is Gods will. *sigh*

Vance

Sorry about it. I cannot afford to ignore that specific post and I want to defend for 'good' men but I will try to not be offtopic in this topic from now.

Oceanbreeze

Oh, I didn't mean you! *sigh* You did fine. I was referring to TTTs post about Michael Jackson, sexism and whatever else she said. It was HER that pulled this danged thread so

Oceanbreeze

Well all do it, Meg. I've done it, myself.

What a nightmare, eh?