LGBT Adoption

Hi 2 Guys, So excited for you both :) My partner and I also adopting. We however are not going through an agency. We decided on taking the journey and adopting through our county and from the foster care kids. We have been waiting on the "official" list since early January. We have had a very positive experience going through the county and have been chosen to be one of the families considered for a girl. If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to help anyway I can. take care, and good luck. Jen.

I'm a single, older, gay man who's hoping to adopt from foster care. I had my home study completedlast spring by a private agency in that contracts with the state. I started searching in my state first, and was offered an eleven-year-old boy last summer, but decided his issues were too great for me. In August I expanded my search to interstate. I've been potentially matched with a ten-year-old boy. Hope to find out for sure very soon. The worst part is the waiting and not knowing what's going on. Being gay doesn't seem to have been an issue for me and the fact that I'm retired and have no other kids in the home makes me a better match for some kids. Good luck with your search. There's so much to learn about the process. If you have any specific questions, let me know.

I'm not GL, but over the past couple years working in the NICU we've had several couples (GL) who have very successfully done private infant adoptions. All were chosen by birthmoms. One of them was back eight or nine months later to adopt the second of this birthmom's babies. All the couples that I've been involved with have used a local agency which is not religious based and deals with a lot of the placements that are more last minute and many drug affected, etc situations. All that to say-- it can be done successfully and all the GL couples we've had have seen happy enough with their decision.

Hey there! We're a gay couple currently waiting to adopt a newborn domestically. We began our wait ten months ago, had an unmatch after the baby was born just before Christmas and now, to our great delight, are in touch with another expectant mom and hoping a match comes of it.It hasn't been as hard as I'd imagined, well, hard, but not because of our orientation. We found allies we didn't know we had and never had trouble finding someone who was willing to work with us in whatever capacity we needed. Both emoms we've gotten to know so far have intentionally sought out a same-sex couple, something I hear about more and more, a far cry from wondering if we would ever be chosen! Good luck with everything!

Nowadays, it's not at all uncommon for gays and lesbians to adopt. In general, it is easier for lesbians to adopt, because of prevailing stereotypes, which buy into nonsense about men not being nurturing enough and men being more likely to commit child abuse. It is difficult for gays and lesbians to adopt internationally. The countries that have large numbers of children who need a good parent or two -- for example, countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America -- tend to be negative about homosexuality. And countries that are actually more open-minded than the U.S., like a few in Western Europe, tend to have few children available for adoption. Domestic agency adoption is possible, especially for lesbians, but there could be a long wait for a match, especially if the adoption will be open or semi-open. Many lesbians and gays have better luck with private adoption, where they identify a birthmother on their own, or with adoptions through the foster care system. Sharon

Thanks for the positive reply, folks! We are very excited, and really encouraged by hearing about families' successes. Right now, we're just in "waiting mode," which is kind of an odd place to be. Lots of wondering who's out there viewing us as a potential match, lots of wondering if there's anything else we could be doing. Waiting, waiting, waiting...Looking forward to hearing more from members of the community, and best wishes for you all!-------------------Two guys starting a family together. Excited and scared all at once! [url=http://www.twoguysadopt.com]Two Guys Adopt | Love | Commitment | Family[/url]

My partner and I started our adoption journey a little over a year ago. We first went local and contacted the county children services. We got approved last March. In August we brought home a 1 week old baby boy. We had him for 4 months. The agency wanted to respect the birthmothers wishes and have a friend of hers adopt him. It was an awful experience for us. We went to adopt and ended up being foster parents for the 4 months. So, we went to a private agency. We got approved and after only 2 weeks matched with a baby girl. We brought her home 2/4/13 and 5 days later she was taken back from us. The parents delayed their 72 hour signing and then backed out all together. Two loses within 2 months has really taken a toll on our hearts. We continue on the waiting list with the private agency. Hoping to get a call quickly. Looking at our empty nursery and all the baby stuff is a daily reminder of what has happened. We stay positive and hope for a miracle everyday. Good luck to you and your partner. Try to stay positive.