Today a Miami judge will rule on a Florida case near and dear to the hearts of the religious right. Martin Gill is a 47 year old gay man who took his civic responsibilities seriously - he's been a foster parent to two kids since 2004. And he wants to adopt them.
Florida has a big initiative to adopt foster children, and is bragging about their success, but a 1977 law against adoption by gays has limited access gay people have to participating fully in this big wonderful family the people of Florida see themselves as. Same old, same old hypocrisy as the gay marriage issue. Florida is hurting for qualified foster parents, and quietly looks the other way when gay people serve as such, but they're so afraid teh gay might be contagious that they passed this law back in the Anita Bryant days, and no politician will touch it. The battle is in the courts, which is probably best for all concerned. There are over a thousand foster children in Florida waiting for adoption, and Martin Gill has stepped up to ask for a chance to raise these two children.
U P D A T E :
Miami judge rules against Fla. gay adoption ban The Associated Press
MIAMI -- A Miami judge has struck a blow against a Florida law banning adoptions of children by gay people.
Miami Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman ruled Tuesday there was "no rational basis" for prohibiting gays from adopting children. The ruling will allow 47-year-old Martin Gill to adopt two young brothers he has cared for as foster children since 2004.
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Attorneys for the state said they would appeal Lederman's ruling. The appeal will ultimately decide what happens to the state ban.
Gay adoption hasn't sparked a full-blown culture war-yet. The private nature of the process and piecemeal adoption laws have allowed it to be overshadowed by its hot-button cousin, same-sex marriage. But across the country, the issue is bubbling up. From courtrooms in Florida to the Arkansas ballot to the Tennessee legislature, gay rights advocates and conservative family values groups are fighting it out.
This will always be a state-by-state issue, like abortion and gay marriage, and Florida's a tough place to pick this particular fight, but Martin Gill just wants a family like everyone else.
Florida has one of the strictest bans on gay adoptions in the country. A judge in Key West ruled in September that the ban was unconstitutional, but that ruling has had limited legal impact.
The American Civil Liberties Union has sided with Gill in the case. The ACLU says there is a shortage of parents for adoptions in Florida, where at a given time there are about 1,000 children waiting to be adopted.
"Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. When you stumble, keep faith. When you?re knocked down, get right back up. And NEVER listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on."
Hillary Clinton - June 7, 2008
