Dear Future President,

     My name is Marnie and I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Being a person who is close in the LGBT community I feel that LGBT couples should not be denied the right to adopt a child because of their sexual orientation. There are many deserving couples in the world that are wanting to adopt but are denied because of their sexual orientation. Our community has achieved many things in the past year but on the other hand people still face discrimination in their daily lives. What's wrong with wanting a family?

     I myself have two moms and this year they were able to be legally married after 25 years of unrecognized marriage. In the state of Michigan "second parent adoption" is not an option for my non-biological mom to legally adopt me unless the judge is persuaded enough to allow it. The only choice would be "stepparent adoption" and she's not considered my step mom. Finding out that she couldn't legally adopt me was confusing because I didn't understand why people think our family is wrong. Clearly two parents are better than one.

     Oureverydaylife.com commented that one out of three adoption agencies will deny a gay or lesbian couple due to religious views, state law, or a policy of only allowing married couples to adopt. Sexual orientation does not influence parenting abilities or the outcome of the child. If anything the child will be put into a loving, caring home and is wanted rather than happening by mistake. In the world there are an estimated two million LGBT people who are interested in adoption and more than 400,000 children and teens in foster care right now, look how easily that could balance out.

     With this in mind, people feel that a gay or lesbian couple raising a child is not "traditional" and the child will face social issues in their future. I feel bad for the people who think that because those kinds of families are the most loving and caring families for a child to be in. According to lifelongadoptions.com, gay or lesbian couples are raising 4% of adopted children in the U.S. and that number should be higher considering the number of children in need of a home. There are more than 111,000 same-sex couples raising an estimated 170,000 biological, step , or adopted children in the world stated williamsinstitute.law.ucla.gog. We need to think of future generations of kids that will need a good home and the people that are there to adopt them.

     Why should people be denied of a family when they would be loving, caring, and safe parents perfect for a child in need? In the great words of Lin Manuel-Miranda "And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside." By now people should realize that love is love and there is nothing that can change that. Please future president there are children in need of a family and couples that are being denied of that. I simply cannot solve this problem myself and would hope that you take this issue into consideration by showing people that the LGBTQ+ community is deserving of an equal life.

Sincerely,

Marnie H.W.

"Www.lifelong adoptions.com." Lifelongadoptions.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

"What Are the Benefits of Gay Adoption?" Our Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

"LGBT Parenting in the United States - Williams Institute." N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.