Dear Future President,

Think about your childhood. Think about where you grew up, and the people that shaped who were a part of you becoming who you are today. Your guardians are probably an extremely important factor of this mix. Think about how much they meant to you, and how you loved them, and looked up to them. They were your hero, your knight and shining armor that rid the monsters under the bed. In your heart was only love from, and for, your parents, and your family. Growing up, you didn’t know discrimination. You knew your parents wanted you to say please and thank you. You knew you should hold the door open for people, and you knew to look both ways before crossing the street. You knew these simple everyday things because your guardians taught them to you, and your guardians taught you these things because they were good parents, and good people. Isn’t that what matters? What truly counts in parents is if they're a good person, who will raise good kids, not their sexuality. Being straight does not make someone a better parent than someone who isn't, so why is this a factor in the adoption process?

I am Gwen D. and I would like you to take into consideration our country’s LGBT adoption rights. I ask you this because although the Supreme Court, in February of 2015, ruled that it is unconstitutional to discriminate against LGBT parents attempting to adopt, the ruling has not been very well enforced. LGBT couples still have an extremely hard time when trying to adopt. There are many more obstacles for them then there is for a heterosexual couple looking to adopt. Some of these obstacles are upfront, and obvious, while others are subtle ways of discrimination.

For example, the religious based adoption agencies that are fighting for the choice to deny LGBT couples to go about adopting a child through their agency. These agencies argument is that homosexuals raising children is against their religious beliefs, and therefore they should be an exception to the previously mentioned supreme court ruling. Adoption agencies with these beliefs will refuse to even meet with the LGBT applicants. This is discrimination to members of the LGBT community, and it makes it much harder for them to be able to adopt a child. It is one thing to deny a person because they do not meet the requirements to adopt a child, but it is another to refuse even meeting with a person because of their sexual orientation. Along with that, these agencies are receiving money from the government to do their job, which is to find safe, happy, and loving home for kids in need of one. If agencies refuse to even speak with, and meet LGBT couples that could fit this description, aren’t they doing the opposite of their job?

Of all of the opposite sex couples with kids in their home, only 4.4 percent of those families have children that have been adopted, while out of all the same sex families, 21.2 percent of families have adopted their children. Currently, there is an estimated 500,000 kids in foster care, and 100,000 kids that need to be adopted. Seeing that same sex couples are more likely to adopt than opposite sex couples, there is an obvious point to be made. If LGBT adoption rights were more protected, then how many more kids would be adopted? Having discrimination against LGBT couples is more than just politics. It’s kids’ happiness, and chances of being adopted that are at hand. People intimidated, and possibly even scared to face the obstacles of adopting as a same sex couple, could really make a difference in the amount of kids needing homes.

I hope that after seeing letters similar to mine, on this topic, that there will be a change in how LGBT adoption rights are being dealt with. The Supreme Court ruling was the first step, and enforcing this law should be the next to creating a completely discrimination free adoption system. Thank you for your time.

Respectfully,

Gwen D.