Congressman Pete Stark of California has proposed a federal bill — the Every Child Deserves a Family Act — that would deny funding to states that pass bills banning adoption by gay, transgender, or unmarried heterosexual parents.
- Pete Stark
According to Stark: “This legislation would simply prohibit any entity that receives federal child welfare funds from denying or delaying adoption or foster care placements based solely on the prospective parent’s marital status or sexual orientation. States and child welfare agencies that fail to end discriminatory practices would face financial penalties. This is the same approach that put an end to race discrimination in adoption and foster care placements.”
Former Tennessee state senator Paul Stanley and Representative John DeBerry (both from Shelby County) proposed state legislation earlier this year that would ban adoption by any couple co-habitating in a sexual relationship outside of marriage. There hasn’t been much action on that bill since last February.
The Tennessee Equality Project is urging LGBT advocates to be ready to fight the state adoption bill again when the legislature re-convenes.
For more information, check out this post on Grand Divisions: News and Comment from TN Politics.
