CAN GAY OR LESBIAN COUPLES OR SINGLES ADOPT A CHILD?
Yes, in most areas of the United States. Many agencies welcome gay and lesbian individuals and couples as potential adoptive parents. In some jurisdictions (states or counties), both members of a couple may adopt the same child at the same time. In others only one parent in a couple may adopt, while in still others only one parent may adopt at a given time, but the other may later do so through a second parent adoption. While only a handful of states have statewide legislation that rules out adoption by openly gay couples, some counties may have prohibitive laws. Find links to helpful sites for gay and lesbian adoptive parents in the National Adoption Center’s Resource library. Read one family’s story, Diversity Makes Us Stronger. Read Our First “Wednesday’s Child” Success Story… on the Freddie Mac Foundation website.
