I guess there’s been this sneaky debate going lately as to whether or not gay people should be allowed to adopt. And not only gay couples – just gay people in general. I understand not letting murderers adopt, or maybe even violent schizophrenics, but really? Unless the gays in question are murderers or violent schizophrenics, I honestly don’t see what the big fuss is about. Are gay people inferior to straight people, and is this why they won’t have the responsibility to raise a child? AdoptUsKids.org has a list of guidelines for adopting children in Florida, and presumably, if you fit into them, you should be eligible to adopt. Some of the questions it poses are: Are both spouses eager to adopt? Does the couple or prospective adoptive parent have any experience with children? Can the prospective adoptive parent afford to have the child?

I think that you and I can agree that being gay does not automatically imply that your income is lower, nor does it imply that you are not eager to adopt, nor does it imply that you have spent your life trapped in a bubble of narcissism and have never encountered a child before. Actually, all it means is that if you are a chick, you like chicks, and if you are a dude, you like dudes. That’s really it. However, in Florida, gays are not allowed to adopt, neither as a couple nor as a single person. When you fill out an application, you will be asked your sexual orientation, and if you check off “Homosexual,” your application will become void.

Why is this? The guidelines are a good indicator of whether or not you can adopt a child. If you match all of the questions given, you should be eligible. Nowhere does it state why being gay is an automatic disqualifier. However, it is the stereotypes and generalizations that society forces unto gay people that limits their rights to adopt children.

Evidently, gay people do not fulfill the requirements asked of them. Adoption agencies want to see responsible and mature adults raise children, not wild and reckless people. Their argument is that gay people, especially men, are “wild party animals,” therefore they are not of the child-raising type. This is a ridiculous statement akin to saying that all straight people are perpetually stoned. This logic is a fallacy because it makes hasty generalizations. Also, I would think that gay people would inherently be more responsible about having children. Since gay people cannot biologically bear children, the process of acquiring a child is undoubtedly thought-out and analyzed. This shows much more responsibility than, say, a straight teenage girl who has gotten pregnant due to irresponsible decisions on her part. She would be much less equipped to deal with a child than a prepared and educated gay adult.

Also, opposers to gay adoption say that gay people are ineligible to adopt merely based on their gender. They argue that a natural family structure is mother-father. However, studies from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which primarily focuses on the well-being of children, show that a child’s success relating to her parents is not at all based on their gender, but rather, their ability to nourish, support, love, and care about her. Also, people would argue against this right say that having two homsexual parents will “turn the baby gay.” Again, the AAP states that babies are born with a specific sexual orientation and any attempt to convert or change this will, without fail, result in permanent trauma and depression. Therefore, having two same-sex parents does not, in any way, sway the child’s sexual orientation.

Being adopted is the same, whether one’s parents are heterosexual or homosexual. What really matters is the parents’ abilities to care for and love the child, something completely independent from their gender.

See:

-AdoptUsKids.org at: http://www.adoptuskids.org/

-American Academy of Pediatrics at: http://www.aap.org/