Proud Parenting

LGBTQ Parents - Lesbian Moms & Gay Dads

OUT Fund makes grant to RaiseAChild.US

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RaiseAChild.US has received $7,500 for general operating support from OUT Fund. Since 2011, RaiseAChild.US has engaged more than 2,000 prospective parents nationally and become a leading organization for public education and advocacy on behalf of the 400,000 children awaiting foster and adoptive homes.

“We are honored to receive the recognition and backing of the OUT Fund,” says Rich Valenza, Founder and CEO of RaiseAChild.US. “Through the OUT Fund, we are receiving support back directly from the LGBT community and its generous allies.”

The OUT Fund is a giving circle comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds who are committed to leveraging resources and expertise to make a positive impact in the community.

Article adapted by Proud Parenting from original press release

Latest polls: Attitudes toward gays changing quickly

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A pair of USA TODAY/Gallup Polls show a rapidly growing acceptance toward gays and lesbians in the US. The change is creating optimism among gay Americans that controversy involving our rights will soon be in the past.

A nationwide USA TODAY poll finds broad acceptance of economic rights for same-sex couples and majority support for marriage equality and adoption. A 51% majority predict that at some point, the country will reach a general agreement on such issues.

In a survey of respondents who identified themselves as LGBT, three of four say they are generally open with others about their sexual orientation. More than nine of 10 say people in their community have become more accepting in recent years.

[via USA Today]

New iPad/iPhone App helps Navigate the Adoption Process

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The Adoption App was created by Sharon Simons, an Adoptive Mom who, after successfully navigating the rigors and challenges of the adoption process, decided to craft an app to make the adoption process much easier for others. This comprehensive, yet easy to use iPad/iPhone application, is a practical working guide – a step-by-step roadmap – to lead you through the many steps & tasks that need to be complete before your Domestic or International Adoption can be approved.
The Adoption App:
– Offers detailed information & documentation on the Home Study Process for both Domestic and International Adoption
– Helps organize the process with detailed checklists of tasks and documentation that needs to be completed
– Documentation for Domestic and International Adoptions that you are able to email to yourself through the app, download it to your computer, print, & fill out each document
– Identifies and offer quick access to a myriad of adoption resources
– Contains a calendar that syncs with your existing calendar to keep you on time for all of your adoption related meetings & appointments
– Links to articles & success stories on adoption, motherhood & more
– A Share your Story with us feature which allows you to participate in the Mom at Last Community Website
– And much more.

In 2012 alone, Americans adopted 11,059 children through the use of International Adoptions. Domestic Adoptions totaled in the hundreds of thousands, and these numbers are growing every day.

The Adoption App was developed by Sharon Simons. The Adoption App can be viewed and used on all iPads/iPhones including the New iPhone 5. The program lists for $4.99 and is available at the Apple Store. Link: www.itunes.com/apps/theadoptionapp

For more information visit www.theadoptionapp.com or Sharon Simons Mom At Last website at www.momatlast.com

About the Creator

At the age of 39, Sharon Simons fell in love, got married, and tried to have children naturally, but she was unsuccessful in her attempts. She underwent three in vitro fertilization procedures, experienced the elation of pregnancy, the devastation of a late term miscarriage, and suffered an ectopic pregnancy. Sharon and her husband decided to adopt and successfully navigated the emotionally fraught waters of International Adoption to bring home two precious little boys. Her story is the subject of the upcoming book titled Mom At Last.

Article: 16th October 2012 www.momatlast.com

“The Baby Wait”: A chronicle of the adoption journey for gay dads

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“The Baby Wait” — a new Viacom series from the producers of “16 & Pregnant” — goes inside the sometimes heart-wrenching window of time when birth mothers can legally change their minds and take their babies back. In many states, that period is 30 days after birth.

The series will air six different stories surrounding the potential pitfalls of the adoption process. In the show’s trailer, longtime couple Mark and Paul are thrilled when 18-year-old Genevieve chooses them as her baby’s adoptive parents, but are then forced to cope with the fact that Genevieve has 30 days to reclaim custody. While Mark and Paul are more than capable as dads, they can’t escape the fact that they could easily be childless again in a matter of days.

[via NYPOST.com]

Adoption of babies in UK down by 20 per cent in the last year

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The number of babies being adopted in Britain has plunged by 20 per cent in the last year, Government figures have shown.
Only 76 children under one were permanently taken on by UK families in 2011, down from 95 in 2010. David Cameron is trying to speed up the process because many children are stuck in care for long periods from birth, despite prospective parents being desperate to adopt them.

At the moment people have to wait on average two and a half years to have their application processed but the Prime Minister wants this down to three months.

Adoptions also increased in Scotland between 2010 and 2011 by 6 per cent, from 466 in 2010 to 494 in 2011.

Mission: David Cameron has said he is determined to speed up the adoption process, which currently takes more than two years In a reverse of last year’s figures, 49 per cent of children adopted in 2011 were male and 51 per cent were female. Since 1998, the number of male and female adoptions has been fairly even, the ONS said.

Nearly two-thirds – 62 per cent – of children adopted in Britain last year were aged between one and four. The proportion of adopted children aged one to four has steadily increased since 1998. Last year’s figure is almost double the proportion in 1998.

Meanwhile, the proportions of adoptions of other age groups has decreased. For children aged between five and nine, the proportion has decreased from more than a third in 1998 to just under a quarter in 2011. The percentage of children between 10 and 14 being adopted has more than halved from over one in five in 1998 to one in 10 in 2011. The percentage of adopted children aged 15 to 17 has decreased to 2 per cent, from 5 per cent in 1998.

Under Mr Cameron’s plans youngsters will be able to move in with their possible future permanent families before lengthy legal procedures are finalised, the Prime Minister said last month.

He hopes the Fostering For Adoption scheme will give children a better start in life by ensuring they have a stable home as quickly as possible. Under the plans, men and women who have been cleared as adopters can become a child’s foster parent until they are legally allowed to adopt them. Now, local authorities generally wait until court orders are made before beginning their search for a permanent home.

The move will not pre-empt any legal ruling, meaning the youngsters could be returned to their birth parents or other carers. But the Government hopes it will mean the interests of the children are put first.

Article: 7th August 2012 www.dailymail.co.uk

New York City recruits LGBTQ and affirming foster, adoptive parents

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New York City is reaching out to same-sex married couples as potential foster and adoptive parents. As of April 2012, 1600 children need to be adopted in NYC. The City recently offered an information panel called Recruiting LGBTQ and Affirming Foster Parents. With the passing of the same-sex marriage law, many more couples can now be considered as potential parents and solve a huge crisis for hundreds of New York City kids who need homes, according to child advocate officials.

The NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) has stepped up its efforts to help same-sex married couples and LGBTQ youth. Improvements include: development of an ACS LGBTQ Strategic Plan, creating a transgender non-conforming Best Practices Guide, involvement with LGBTQ-NYC Family Court Advocacy Committees and more.

[via Examiner]

France to pass marriage equality and adoption for same-sex couples

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France’s new Socialist government is to legalize marriage and adoption for same-sex couples, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault (pic) declared, reflecting a shift in public attitudes in the majority Catholic nation. “The government has made it an objective for the next few months to work on implementing its…fight against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity,” Ayrault’s office said in a statement.

A law granting full marriage status to gay couples would bring France into line with fellow EU members Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden. In France, 60 percent support marriage equality. A majority also favor allowing gay couples to adopt children.

[via REUTERS]

Same-sex parents sue over North Carolina adoption law

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The ACLU recently filed a federal lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s prohibition against same-sex couples adopting each other’s children. The ban on second parent adoptions violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian parents and their children, according to the complaint filed in Greensboro by the ACLU. North Carolina is one of eight U.S. states where same-sex couples are barred from adopting children together and/or are not allowed to have one partner adopt the other’s biological or adoptive children.

“Adoption decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis based on what is in best interest of the child,” said Chris Brook, legal director of the ACLU in North Carolina. “Children denied a legally recognized parent are oftentimes left vulnerable.”

[via ACLU]

National Adoption Week: have you ever considered adopting a child?

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Today is the start of National Adoption Week – Have you ever considering adopting a child? Thousands of children are taken into care every year. Of these many are never lucky enough to become part of a secure loving long-term family. This important week reminds us there are kids out there waiting to be taken in by someone who will make them part of their own family and give them the ‘forever home’ they are longing for.

If you have ever considered the option of adopting, you need to be over 21, patient, and dedicated to offering someone lifelong love and support. It’s a huge responsibility, but one that comes with great rewards. For more information about the adoption process click here.

The campaign also asks adopted people over 18 and parents of adopted children to come forward and help out. Possible activities include writing to your local newspaper; putting up posters; writing an adoption blog; doing your own fundraising challenge, or rounding up loved ones to talk them about your individual experiences with adoption. For more information on how you can help, go to the National Adoption Week website for more information.

Also in celebration of National Adoption Week 2011 they are encouraging anyone who is over 18 and has a connection with adoption to enter a short film. It has to be creative and inspiring – you don’t have to own professional equipment to take part, it could even be filmed on a mobile phone. None of that matters – all that matters is that it stands out and fulfils the aims. Once the winner is announced the winner will be awarded in London. Click here for competition details.

If adoption isn’t for you, have you ever considered having a family through co-parenting or using a known sperm or egg donor? Visit www.prideangel.com for more information

Momentum toward national adoption reform for GLBT parents

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New York’s junior senator Kirsten Gillibrand is working tirelessly on federal legislation to lift the ban on gay couples and singles adopting children. “This legislation would open thousands of new foster and adoptive homes to children ensuring they are raised in loving families,” Gillibrand said of her Every Child Deserves a Family Act. Her territory – NYC – leads the nation in the number of gay individuals who are foster and adoption parents. But 11 states currently ban gay individuals and same-sex couples from adopting.

[via NYDailyNews.com]