June is traditionally Pride Month in not only the United States, but around the world. This is something that is often celebrated in the adoption community as well and provides the opportunity to discuss not only same sex adoptions, but the obstacles that can occur.
As of the publication of this article, same sex adoption is legal in all fifty states and has been since March of 2016, however, not every adoption agency works with same sex couples. Many agencies are affiliated with religious sects that may not work with LGTBQ+ couples and in some instances, any couples that aren’t married. Legality of adoption and who can adopt vary greatly from state to state. According to AdoptionNetwork.com, “as of this last decade, an estimated 6 to 14 million children have a gay or lesbian parent, and, between 8 to 10 million children are being raised in gay and lesbian households.” The site goes on to note that Washington, D.C, Massachusetts, California, New Mexico, and Alaska have the top percentages of children with gay and lesbian parents. Even in these states, despite legalization of same sex adoption, private funded agencies have the right to refuse to place children with unmarried or LGTBQ+ individuals looking to adopt.
If you are seeking to adopt, the best way to understand if you are able to work with that agency is to do your research. You should do this with any agency regardless of your sexual orientation as there may be limits regarding not only sexuality but age, health, marital status, etc. While some may express concern that it may take longer for them to adopt, Kirsch and Kirsch state that they don’t see a difference in wait time between heterosexual or LGTBQ+ couples, though they do still state that they prefer couples to be married when seeking to adopt. Many agencies list this on their site, not necessarily as a requirement to adopt, but because they recognize that as a preference in some of the birth parents that are seeking to make an adoption plan.
Again, as with domestic adoption, International adoptions can differ when it comes to same sex adoption. To initially do research, it is advisable to read the resources provided by the US government, which you can explore here.
Funding can remain a struggle for anyone adopting and thanks to not for profits like helpusadopt.org, there are grant opportunities to help you become a family. Helpusadopt.org is a national not for profit whose grant program helps couples or individuals regardless of ethnicity, race, marital status or sexual orientation. They support not only domestic and international adoptions, but foster care adoptions as well to award grants up to $20,000.
For more information about starting your adoption process, reach out to Adoption Choice, Inc.