Michigan LGBT Adoption Law

[theatrepal]

I was sad to see the following news out of Michigan today: 


www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hrc-condemns-michigan-governor-for-signing-extreme-anti-lgbt-adoption-legis

[gnomesweetgnome]

Things like this make me so sad and angry.

[nobb14]

Totally senseless and infuriating.

[lizblue]

[pghtruelove]

As an adoptee and a birth mother I am disgusted by this. So many children need homes who the hell cares if its with two moms two dads or a mom and a dad. Babies need loving homes.

[akafred]

Just to be clear, LGBT couples and individuals can still adopt in Michigan. The law as I understand it allows religious agencies to decline to serve LGBT potential adopters if it is a violation of their religion. Secular agencies would be the place to go. I'm not saying the law is good, just want to make sure people don't think it is a complete change to where LGBT persons can't adopt at all.

[persianmaman]

Jun 12, 2015 8:30:23 GMT -5 akafred said:

The law as I understand it allows religious agencies to decline to serve LGBT potential adopters if it is a violation of their religion. Secular agencies would be the place to go.

Even as a non-LGBT couple, DH and I were very uncomfortable looking through secular agencies because some of them were vague about whether or not we'd get the same kind of treatment even if we weren't Christian. Some agencies just made it very plain that they wouldn't if you weren't Christian. 

If you are working on behalf of a government service - which, in a way, adoption services are given how much the government is involved with the process - I think you need to leave religion out of the question of whom you are serving. Laws like these make it so much more complicated and adoption is already hard enough for LGBT folks.


(@akafred, I'm not calling you out, I just wanted to quote the bit about secular agencies.) 

[akafred]

Jun 13, 2015 0:23:04 GMT -5 persianmaman said:

Jun 12, 2015 8:30:23 GMT -5 akafred said:

The law as I understand it allows religious agencies to decline to serve LGBT potential adopters if it is a violation of their religion. Secular agencies would be the place to go.

Even as a non-LGBT couple, DH and I were very uncomfortable looking through secular agencies because some of them were vague about whether or not we'd get the same kind of treatment even if we weren't Christian. Some agencies just made it very plain that they wouldn't if you weren't Christian. 

If you are working on behalf of a government service - which, in a way, adoption services are given how much the government is involved with the process - I think you need to leave religion out of the question of whom you are serving. Laws like these make it so much more complicated and adoption is already hard enough for LGBT folks.


(@akafred, I'm not calling you out, I just wanted to quote the bit about secular agencies.) 

Again, I'm not saying it's a good law. But the HRC blog was vague about exactly what the law does and doesn't do, and I think it's important that people understand and make up their own minds.