Florida court case

I'm on the liberal side and I'm with you!!! In a system where so many children are waiting for homes can we really afford to turn away loving families?!? If there is something I can do from 1000 miles away I'm prepared to do it! Thanks for setting up a forum for folks to voice their frustration. Dawn

WOW --- that is pretty frustrating! You are correct in many points. First, single parent households can be just as healthy and rewarding as the "norm". Sure there are studied and researched disadvantages -- but there are much more disadvantages to living without one at all. Secondly, a warm, cozy, safe home with a loving parent is, by far, the best situation for a child --- regardless of who the loving parent is (gay, single, straight, male or female). It is ludicrous for government to say who can and cannot parent, especially when considering the millions of children who need parents. Thanks for being angry about this --- we should be. tfergycnm

I also tend to be pretty conservative in my thinking, but not on this issue. I left some brochures about foster care and adoption at my church and a fellow member commented that she was offended when she read "you can be gay or straight..." on one of the brochures. She said these children should only be placed in households with a mommy and a daddy, traditional "Leave it to Beaver" kind of homes. Would this "Christian" who suggested this do foster care or adopt a waiting child?...why no...she had many lovely excuses (some making her superior to foster families --"I am the kind of person who loves children so much that I would never be able to let them go!") First of all, we are not creating these children so that gay people can adopt them...these children are already on this planet and they are WAITING for someone to commit to them. Sometimes a person who has struggled to overcome stereotypes and prejudice can empathize with what a child in the system struggles with...I would argue that gay parents may be superior in some ways to straight families for this reason. Secondly, some argue that homosexuality is a sin and therefore these children should not be exposed to it...taking that view, are gossip, slander, hate, greed, lust, etc.. all listed as sins in the Bible? Are children being raised by gossips and slanderers? Do these children still grow into functioning adults, many of them active in the faith community...you bet. Lastly, in my experience many families who have the "Leave it to Beaver" atmosphere in their homes would never survive the chaos that a child from the system might bring. Children have different needs and we should have a variety of families available to fill those needs. Some children have spent 10 years with a single mom and transitioning to a home with 2 parents could be difficult for them. Some children thrive on creating chaos and the traditional family could be considered "boring" by them! If someone is not part of the solution, they are part of the problem. There are thousands of kids waiting for families, if people are not willing to provide a home for these children it is somewhat hypocritical of them to dictate who should be able to provide this home.

I too cannot believe florida. IT makes no sence to me. there are too many kids out there that need loving homes. they let gay/lesbians foster these troubled children in florida. These parents take these children at their worst and heal them. Help them get through the ruff times, they run to them when they are having nightmares or flashbacks. They try to heal these children. then, when most of the their issues are handled and the children seem to be settling in, and then the state deems them 'adoptable', they find a str8 couple to take them in and be their 'forever family'........because everyone knows, that gay and lesbians cannot make good parents........give me a break. this issue also makes me angry. we have alot of gay/lesbian friends and they are there for my kids then most of our str8 friends. They love them unconditionally. When they come to visit us, they spend more time with the kids then they do us.....lol. They call us more then my str8 friends to see how the kids are settling in....why? because they care...We have kept in contact with the gay/lesbians familys from our MAPP class more then the str8 couples....only cause their more fun....lol I do belive, things are going to change. The whole gay/lesbian marriage thing, here in MA, is becoming a 'major' issue around the country, not just here in MA and I think we should all support it. ONce gay/lesbians can marry, then they will also be able to adopt, both parents, not just one. So i do feel things will change and we hoping for the better. I dont know why people are so upset with this. It really does baffle me to be honest. It just makes no sence. dadfor2