HRC Recognizes LGBT Parents During National Adoption Month
Gay and lesbian parents raising four percent of adopted children in the U.S.
Washington– The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, is proud to recognize the contributions of LGBT adoptive parents during National Adoption Month, a month set aside each year to raise awareness about the opportunities to adopt children and youth from foster care, and to celebrate adoptive families across the country. LGBT parents continue to play an important role in creating safe and welcoming homes for all children and youth in need a permanent family.
“Like many people, LGBT individuals and couples want to provide a stable, loving home for children in foster care,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “The LGBT community has largely been an untapped resource of qualified, highly motivated parents who can offer welcoming, supportive families to the thousands of children and youth who are waiting, and who deserve to have a ‘forever family.’”
Below are notable facts about the breadth of adoption by LGBT families, and the challenges that these families still face:
- According to the Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 423,773 children in the U. S. were in foster care as of September 30, 2009. Of these, approximately 115,000 are in need of a permanent, adoptive family.
- An estimated 65,000 adopted children are living with a gay or lesbian parent
- An estimated 2 million LGBT people are interested in adopting
- More than half of gay men and 41 percent of lesbians want to have a child
- Gay and lesbian parents are raising four percent of all adopted children in the U.S.
- Although Florida has recently overturned an adoption ban on gay and lesbian parents, same-sex couples are still prohibited from adopting in Mississippi and Utah. Additionally, state courts in Michigan have ruled that unmarried individuals may not jointly petition to adopt.
- Same-sex couples can jointly petition to adopt statewide in only 13 states and D.C.
- Second parent adoption, where a person can petition to adopt the child of his or her partner is a state-wide option in only nine states and D.C.
- For more information about state laws on adoption, see HRC’s state law maps
All Children All Families
- The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has led the conversation about increasing the pool of LGBT foster and adoptive parents through the All Children – All Families (ACAF) initiative. ACAF works to enhance LGBT cultural competence among child welfare professionals and educates LGBT people about opportunities to become foster or adoptive parents to waiting children.
- 50 adoption agencies have made a public commitment to welcome and support LGBT foster and adoptive parents by participating in the ACAF initiative, and ten agencies have earn our seal of recognition, which is presented to organizations that have met benchmarks outlined in the program.
- Since 2007, ACAF Certified Trainers have delivered LGBT cultural competency and practice improvement training to over 1000 child welfare professionals across the U.S.
The Department of Health and Human Services recognizes the unique challenges that LGBT people experience during the adoption and foster care process, and offers links on their website to the resources offered by HRC and other agencies for these families and the agencies that work with them.
HRC has launched a National Adoption Month website that offers resources and events. More on National Adoption Month is available at http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/
The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.