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Wayne Besen
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Brooklyn, NY 11202
As debate over the issue flares in several states, a major adoption institute says in a new report that it strongly supports the rights of gays and lesbians to adopt, and urges that remaining obstacles be removed.
"Laws and policies that preclude adoption by gay or lesbian parents disadvantage the tens of thousands of children mired in the foster care system who need permanent, loving homes," the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute says in the report to be issued Friday.
41 Comments:
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posted by Anonymous, at
3/24/2006 12:50 PM
I wonder how the Religious "Wrong" are going to try to discredit this wonderful report and well as the well established adoption institute...
posted by Jeromie Brann-Hurt, at
3/24/2006 1:26 PM
These sanctimonious hypocrites put politics before the welfare of children. Notice that the vast majority of heteros who adopt only want white babies or increasingly chinese children; whereas those adopted by gay couples are often children of color, including older kids who are hard to place, the throw away kids that all the 'good christians' cant be bothered with. Not only is the religious right homophobic, they're a bunch of closet racists too! And thanx wayne for deleting what was undoubtedly another lobotomous diatribe from our resident 'ex-gay' psychostalker kurt. B. Queer
posted by Anonymous, at
3/24/2006 1:27 PM
B. Queer...just look at the funding for this report per the article Wayne linked, and you can see pretty easily how it will be discredited.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/24/2006 1:51 PM
Please, if it were solely a contest between whether a child should be raised by two loving gay people or a couple of tongue-talking religious kooks, there is simply no comparison. You may think I'm kidding, but I've known many children of fundamentalists, and many are INCREDIBLY messed up. You can doubt me, but it's completely true.
posted by Chris L., at
3/24/2006 2:14 PM
I know lots of gay parents. Some with adopted children. Mostly adopted children. And it's true, these children are different color from their parents more often, tend to be very open children and friendly. Some are handicapped kids with subtle or less so disability. The gay couples are mixed as well and raise their children in neighborhoods and social networks where this isn't much of a standout situation.
I am deeply offended that groups like FRC, FOTF or ADF look at families in homogenous ways, or in ways that make one believe family sitations are static and can't change with circumstances.
Their model of family doesn't (and never really has) existed for most of us. Crisis and a family's options to pull together effectively through it is what makes the difference.
The facts remain, there are TENS of THOUSANDS of children in need. And gays and lesbians, unlike the heterosexuals that spawned these children in the first place, usually have to plan for biological children much more carefully and adoptive parents are investigated before parenting to check for fitness. THESE are the optimals for effective parenting that heteros are not subject to.
The homogenous model of family anti gay parents activists want, are homes with less compassion and opportunities for diversity. Religious homes, especially of fundamentalists, tend towards rigid gender and social standards. These lack respect for individuality or other social norms.
And I've noticed, that James Dobson and Tony Perkins haven't invited any foster care fatigued kids of color or with problems into THEIR homes. It's not that THEY want these children, they just don't want gay people to have them.
posted by Regan, at
3/24/2006 2:51 PM
OMG! Just look at the news blotter in the column next to the link on adoption.
Look at all those examples of heteros who should never have had children. The minister's wife and suspicion she killed her husband.
Any bets? He was probably and intractable control freak who saw females as just something to drive like slaves. There might have been physical or sexual abuse in this family and the only out she had for herself and her daughters was murder. He wouldn't be the first man whose public religious face, was actually that of a demon at home.
posted by Regan, at
3/24/2006 2:58 PM
Ummm...James Dobson's son Ryan is adopted.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/24/2006 2:58 PM
Poor Ryan! Imagine being lucky enough to be adopted and then finding mout your father is James Dobson!!
posted by Chris L., at
3/24/2006 3:02 PM
Dobson loves his father...the younger one is an evangelist as well.
He's been very active in reaching out to youth.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/24/2006 3:33 PM
Yeah, Ryan reaches out to youth alright. He wrote a book called "Be Intolerant". What a great message. I see the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. How disgusting.
posted by Chris L., at
3/24/2006 3:35 PM
What was "Be intolerant" about, Chris?
posted by Anonymous, at
3/24/2006 3:52 PM
I know exactly what it was about. But the point was that I would never put my name to a book with a title like "Be Intolerant".
posted by Chris L., at
3/24/2006 4:05 PM
Chris,
Was Ryan Dobson telling Christians to hate other people in that book?
posted by Anonymous, at
3/24/2006 4:15 PM
I did not read the book, but researched it about six months ago when it came to my attention. So I will only make comments about the title, which I reiterate is disgraceful. Did you read Wayne's book?
posted by Chris L., at
3/24/2006 4:21 PM
Chris,
I haven't. I've read a lot of my GLBT friends reviews of it. Some say its good that the subjects Mr. Besen broached were being talked about. Others made it sound like a strange, uneven read. Still others intimated that it was sad, and that the book focused only on the negative.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/24/2006 4:31 PM
I just read Wayne's book two weeks ago. I read it in one day. I couldn't believe how good it was. I thought it was terrific. You should read it.
posted by Chris L., at
3/24/2006 4:38 PM
Tell us Kurt, are you seriously telling us that Be Intolerant says nothing about opposing the so-called homosexual agenda? "Smug and ignorant" are words some reviewers use to describe it. He may not out and out tell Christians to hate, but he does instruct them how to condescend and feel morally superior.
Perchance does he talk about his divorce and tolerance for that? These Pharisees have no business telling us how to live our lives!
posted by Anonymous, at
3/24/2006 4:40 PM
Hmmm...so the fact that Ryan Dobson divorced his wife means that nothing he says is true?
Or is it that (as I find so often, and I too feel this way) we don't have a problem with Christians, but we all have a problem with hypocrite Christians?
Chris, if I get the chance to read it I will.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/24/2006 5:22 PM
RYAN DOBSON divorced his wife!??!? I am totally appalled.
posted by Chris L., at
3/24/2006 5:29 PM
In 2001 they say, yes, Ryan divorced his wife. So did Donnie Swaggart about that time divorce Debbie. I hope none of Ryan's friends read his book!
posted by Chris L., at
3/24/2006 5:53 PM
BC, you hit the nail on the head. When I was a naive 15-year old in the Pentecostal church, little did I know what kind of stunning, mind numbing hypocrisy I would witness over the next 20 years. They are GREAT when it comes to preaching about all of the values that they don't uphold. Meanwhile, it's usually the atheist on the street who treats everyone with respect. Go figure. It took me a couple of decades to figure it out, but I finally learned that Christianity is about living a religious worldview. It has nothing to do with treating people with love or dignity, despite the admonitions of the one they claim to worship, Jesus. We gays know more about the spirit of Christ than these people will ever know!
posted by Chris L., at
3/25/2006 12:36 PM
I am NOT Kurt.
However, I wonder if gay parents are purely being altruistic when adopting. It could simply be that they want kids. I don't know that they're really thinking about helping society's throwaways.
Anyway, I am a bit skeptical of this study myself, considering who financed it. I'm all for gay rights and gay adoption, but I think it is important to use common sense when considering the facts here. We certainly can't call this study objective or scientific.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/25/2006 1:38 PM
"Gay parents" don't uniformly act as one, of course. I think gays who adopt a child with developmental issues are definitely trying to help the less fortunate. There are others who only want a "perfect" child.
Just a thought: If a study was issued that said that children raised by Jewish people were just as healthy as children raised by non-Jews, and you found out that the study was commissioned by a Jewish group, would you doubt the results of the study?
posted by Chris L., at
3/25/2006 2:12 PM
Hey Anonymous, I SAID, that James Dobson didn't open his home up to children of color or those with problems.
His son Ryan is a WHITE guy who looks enough like Dobson to never know he was adopted. DUH!
It's the gay adoptive parents, considering the fire they are under that deserve more credit than James Dobson is giving them. THEY did or are willing to do what he has not. It's not easy for a parent to raise a child that doesn't share their color or cultural background. It's harder to be a gay parent and tend to your duty to your child because Dobson and Perkins have declared war on you and your children. And are making the government do it too.
This I do know, children of the sort of mixed families that gay parent headed homes tend to be, are children who are less racist, sexist, homophobic and more compassionate for children with disabilities.
All those values, evidently, don't impress Dobson, nor HIS adopted son!
posted by Regan, at
3/25/2006 2:15 PM
In the current issue of the Advocate is an article about Rosie O'Donnell's R Family Cruises for gays with children. In the article there is a quote which says that after the first cruise, the crew remarkded that 'they had never been on a cruise with so many well-behaved children'. 'Gay parents are different because they work really hard to become a parent'.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/27/2006 11:45 AM
LOL... I am a tall, broad shouldered, will take no prisoners, big mouthed BLACK woman with attitude!
I shave my head, wear big hoop silver earrings and I'm all over the bullshit from segregationists, especially the anti gay ones.
I was raised to raise a ruckus. Not that I expected it, but my friends in the trenches call me 'honorary gay'. I'll take it, it IS an honor.
I've had a few run ins with Dobson personally. Lou Sheldon too. Lou daddy said that my advocacy of gay folks must be because I'm gay myself.
My response? "Gee, Mr. Sheldon, you say that like it's a bad thing and I should take insult from that. I'm pleased you think so."
Imagine the look on his funky dunky face!
I got that kinda big mouth. Lou Sheldon don't like black women who won't stay in their place either! :0P
posted by Regan, at
3/27/2006 4:22 PM
Regs we need more people like you in this country (and the world). B. Queer
posted by Anonymous, at
3/27/2006 4:48 PM
B. Queer, my love...the world needs more folks like you too!
posted by Regan, at
3/27/2006 8:15 PM
The bottom line is, is that being is WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!! PERIOD.
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