Gay Parents and LGBT Families

Where you live determines what type of legal rights you will be entitled to as gay parents. Laws vary widely from state to state.

According to the ACLU, 21 states currently allow second-parent adoptions to lesbian and gay couples and 22 states have allowed lesbians and gay men to adopt children. But two (Florida and New Hampshire) have laws that expressly bar lesbians and gay men from ever adopting children.

You can check for laws and legislation concerning gays and lesbians in your state by visiting the Human Rights Campaign.

I love this list. It was originally created by the very funny folks at the Gator Gay-Straight Alliance at the University of Florida.

1. Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control are not natural.

2. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people cannot get legally married because the world needs more children.

3. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children because straight parents only raise straight children.

4. Straight marriage will be less meaningful, since Britney Spears's 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.

5. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and it hasn't changed at all: women are property, Blacks can't marry Whites, and divorce is illegal.

6. Gay marriage should be decided by the people, not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of minorities.

7. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are always imposed on the entire country. That's why we only have one religion in America.

8. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people makes you tall.

9. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage license.

10. Children can never succeed without both male and female role models at home. That's why single parents are forbidden to raise children.

11. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven't adapted to cars or longer lifespans.

12. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a "separate but equal" institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages will for gays & lesbians.

Want to know what high-profile gays and lesbians are saying about parenthood? Here are links to some articles.

Melissa Etheridge - in Metro Weekly

Rosie O'Donnell - in The Advocate

Jeff Lutes, Executive Director of Soulforce, Inc. - on About.com

Clay Aiken on CNN.com

Ricky Martin in the Seattle Times

A portion of the proceeds from this lens are donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.