A proposed federal bill could restrict federal funding from states that ban gay or lesbian couples from adopting or fostering children. The proposed bill is known as the ’Every Child Deserves a Family Act,’ and it was introduced into congress on October 15, by Democratic representative Pete Stark of California (shown at left). The bill would penalize states that still maintain outdated adoption policies restricting adoption and foster care based on marital status, gender identity or sexual orientation.
We got 25,000 kids a year maturing out of the welfare system without permanent foster care or adoptive care, and the prospects of those children having a successful adult life are diminished greatly,” Stark told the Washington Blade. “These are kids who end up in the criminal justice system, or end up homeless.”
States that would be directly impacted based on their current laws would include Utah, Florida, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Mississippi. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is an early supporter of the bill, stating children “should have the security of two fully sanctioned and legally recognized parents, whether those parents are of the same or opposite sex.”
A hearing on the bill may take place in the House Ways and Means Committee this year. San Francisco family attorneys are hopeful the bill will pass in order to promote more equality amongst GBLT families.
To learn more about the proposed legislation, read the article on Bay Windows.
When the gay marriage ban of Proposition 8 was passed in 2007, many proponents of the bill claimed to not have a problem with gay people, but with the protection of traditional marriages. As a response to these arguments, Sacramento satirist John Marcotte is pushing a tongue-in-cheek ballot initiative to ban divorce. Marcotte’s proposition urges traditional marriage advocates to practice what they preach: