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JOIN THE COALITION!
Dear friend,
I am writing to invite you to participate in a new and exciting coalition that is being formed to
lead the effort to overturn the gay adoption ban in Florida.
Florida was the first, and is currently the only state in the nation to categorically ban all gay or
lesbian people from adopting. Over 4,500 children languish in Florida’s foster care system today. The adoption ban arbitrarily excludes thousands of potential parents based solely on the irrelevant criteria of sexual orientation. These adults can and will provide stable, loving, PERMANENT homes to many of these children within months of this ban being lifted. That is why the work of this coalition is so important and why we’re sure you will want to be a part of it.
In addition to the thousands of children in foster care, there are thousands more living with gay
or lesbian parents. Unfortunately, right now only the biological parent is granted legal rights while the co-parent is considered a legal stranger, with no parental rights whatsoever.
There is strong agreement among social science and child welfare professionals that adoption
decisions should be based on an individualized assessment of the prospective adoptive parents and the best interests of the child to be adopted. There is also an absolute consensus among these professionals that gay and lesbian parents are as fit, effective and successful at parenting as their heterosexual counterparts.
The Florida Legislature has ignored this advice from nationally recognized experts. This year,
with your help, we are going to give our legislators the literature, the facts, and the support that they need to say yes to ending this discriminatory ban; yes to safeguarding the rights of children and families across the state.
We must join together to build a coalition that includes Florida’s child welfare, social science,
faith, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), and legal communities. We ask for your
leadership to help change this law. Please join us in making the laws of Florida inclusive and give
children the security of a caring, loving family and stable home environment.
Show your commitment by completing the attached form today or contact our Adoption Project
Coordinator, Maria Bates at 813-870-3735, Ext. 252 or adoption@eqfl.org with any questions.
Thank You,
Nadine Smith
Executive Director, Equality Florida
Karen Doering
Florida Staff Attorney, National Center for Lesbian Rights
You can assist in supporting this coalition in the following way(s): (download endorsement form here)
- Participate in bi-weekly conference calls to discuss strategy for repealing Florida’s gay adoption ban.
- Add repealing Florida’s gay adoption ban to your organization’s legislative priority list.
- Help organize and/or participate in town hall meetings throughout the state to help educate the community about this issue and train participants in basic lobbying procedures.
- Rally and mobilize your constituents and lobbyists for in-district visits and an Adoption Repeal lobby day in Tallahassee during legislative session.
- Other
Mail To: P.O. Box 13184, St. Petersburg, FL 33733
Fax To: 727-490-0965
E-mail To: adoption@eqfl.org |
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