FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | October 12, 2004

NCLR Creates Coalition to Defeat Florida Adoption Ban

(St. Petersburg, FL, October 12, 2004) — Florida is the only state in the country to categorically ban all gay and lesbian people from adopting even when it is in the best interests of the children. Decades of studies have shown that children are not harmed in any way by being raised by gay or lesbian parents, and that children raised by gay and lesbian parents are just as healthy and well-adjusted as children raised by heterosexual parents. Florida’s ban remains even though more than 4,000 adoptable children are languishing in foster care, many bouncing from foster home to foster home.

This year, NCLR, Equality Florida, Florida’s Children First, the Family and Public Interest Law Sections of the Florida Bar, and dozens of child welfare, medical, and faith organizations are coming together to make an all out push to repeal this shameful law.

In December and January, this coalition will begin holding town hall meetings across the state where we will gather to share our stories, provide sample trainings in how to lobby legislators, and provide educational materials to help debunk the myths about gay and lesbian families. When the next legislative session begins in February 2005, bills will be introduced to repeal the ban in both the Florida House and Senate and we are already receiving strong bi-partisan support for a repeal.

“Repealing the gay adoption ban in Florida would allow me to be a legally recognized parent to my child,” said Cathy, an NCLR client in Florida. “It would allow me to make medical decisions for my child without having to draft legal documents to document my role in his life. Most importantly, being recognized as a parent would protect Tyler if anything happened to my partner or me.”

The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.