Adoption more open for gays and lesbians

Discrimination based on sexual orientation still exists, but many adoption agencies are open to placing children with gay and lesbian parents, according to "Adoption Agency Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Prospective Parents: A National Study."

The Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., study features results of the first nationwide survey focusing on attitudes and practices by agencies regarding homosexual adoption, which was mailed to 891 adoption program directors in public and private adoption agencies. Findings are based on 214 completed surveys received from 194 private agencies in 45 states and Washington, D.C., and 20 from public agencies in 13 states.

"Sixty-three percent of the respondents said their agency accepted adoption applications from homosexual individuals, and nearly 38% indicated they had made at least one adoption with a gay or lesbian adult during the two-year study period," notes David Brodzinsky, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and director of the Foster Care Counseling Project at Rutgers.

Brodzinsky found two key factors that impacted willingness to consider homosexuals as adoptive parents: the religious affiliation of the agency and the type of children it placed. According to the survey, agencies operating under fundamentalist Christian beliefs were "never" willing to accept applications from homosexuals. Agencies affiliated with the Catholic Church were "seldom" willing to accept applications; only 14% said they would. Forty-two percent of mainstream Protestant-affiliated agencies and 92% of Jewish-affiliated agencies were willing to accept applications from gay and lesbian individuals. Public agencies were 100% willing, except in states that ban homosexual adoption, and 77% of private, nonaffiliated agencies indicated that they would accept applications from gays and lesbians.

"Some religiously affiliated agencies didn't have direct edicts against homosexual adoption. Instead, they had policies of only placing children with married couples, which meant they didn't accept adoption applications from single parents or homosexual adults," explains Brodzinsky.

Agencies handling children with special needs--such as those with medical, mental, or emotional problems; older minority children; and those in large sibling groups--were more likely to accept applications from homosexuals than all other agency types. In contrast, those focused on placing domestically born infants and toddlers were least likely to do so. Adoption agencies focused on international placements were willing to accept applications, depending on restrictions placed by the country of origin, such as China, which prohibits homosexual adoption.

"We still have some major barriers to parenthood and adoption for lesbian and gay individuals," Brodzinsky notes. "Lots of stereotypes and prejudice still exists, and there is a long way to go, but we found that most agencies are willing to accept gay and lesbian applicants." Despite this finding and the fact that more people are applying as openly gay or lesbian adoptive parents, many agencies still follow an informal "don't ask; don't tell" policy.

In reviewing agency practices, Brodzinsky identified a need to develop better training for agency personnel to understand the unique social and family issues surrounding adoption by gay and lesbian parents, and create pre- and post-adoption support services specifically geared toward this population. In addition, he found a lack of dedicated or active recruitment efforts geared toward encouraging homosexuals to become adoptive parents.

"With over a half-million children in foster care and more than 100,000 waiting to be placed for adoption, the need for more adoptive parents is evident," he stresses. "There is growing recognition that homosexuals have the same capacities and can provide the same quality of care to children as heterosexuals, and the children do quite well. Homosexuals are a valuable parenting resource for raising children that need families."

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