Adoption and LGBTQ+ Parents
LGBTQ+ parents adopting children who are not LGBTQ+, and LGBTQ+ parents who adopt children who are LGBTQ+ is a very positive thing! Studies have shown particular strengths that LGBTQ+ parents bring to their children, whether or not they are LGBTQ+. In particular, though, LGBTQ+ parents can help bolster identity questions for LGBTQ+ youth.
High motivation to adopt
There are many positive qualities associated with LGBTQ+ parents that make them exemplary parents and candidates for adoption. You could say they are quite pro-adoption, as LGBTQ couples are four times as likely to have adopted than their heterosexual counterparts (Adoption Network, n.d.). According to the US Department of Health and Services, often LGBTQ people choose adoption as their first choice for creating a family, making them a “highly motivated resource (Turner, 1999).” This could have psychologically positive outcomes on adopted children to know they were the “first choice” which is different for most heterosexual couples who often “end up” adopting (Reed, 2013).
Help manage identity issues
According to the Adoption Network (n.d.), LGBTQ couples are four times as likely to have adopted than their heterosexual counterparts and tend to be more diverse in level socioeconomic status and ethnicity than straight couples who adopt (UCLA Williams Institute, 2018). This could help them relate more to children in foster care who often come from ethnically diverse backgrounds. In addition, LGBTQ parents who adopt out of the foster care system show strengths in the ability to relate to identity concerns children wrestle with from being in the foster care system.
Help support LGBTQ+ youth
Additionally, LGBTQ+ parents can help LGBTQ+ children through identity concerns related to their sexual orientation or gender expression, as many children in foster care express at least 7% express not identifying with being heterosexual (SAMSHA, 2014). Acceptance is crucially important as the level of family rejection can lead to LGBTQ+ children running away or committing suicide. According to the landmark report from the Family Acceptance Project (Ryan, 2009), LGBT youth who experienced high levels of family rejection were 8.4 times more likely to commit suicide than youth with low levels of family rejection. Similarly, LGBT youth who faced high family rejection were 3.4 times more likely to become infected by HIV than LGBT youth in low family rejection households. You can see the importance of affirming, loving households, especially given these staggering findings.
Agencies and providers must be LGBTQ+ affirming
Unfortunately, not all agencies hold affirming practices when it comes to LGBTQ+ parents. It is important that agencies take into account prejudice from staff, including heightened scrutiny during home visits, or lack of awareness regarding the use of proper pronouns. It is important that when adoptive families meet the biological families, the agency focuses on similarities between the parents, such as perhaps where they live, where they went to high school, and not talk about sexual orientation right at the beginning. Staff should remember that they cannot assume what types of parents the biological parents will consider for their child’s adoption (SAMHSA, 2014). Agencies can be more affirming by training their staff, making material LGBTQ+ inclusive, and remembering the many positive qualities of LGBTQ+ adoptive parents.
Resources
Adoption Network. (n.d.) Same-sex adoption. https://adoptionnetwork.com/types-of-adoption-options/same-sex-adoption/
GLAD (n.d.) Know your rights. https://www.glad.org/overview/second-parent-adoption/massachusetts/
Reed, K. (2013, October 22). Study finds couples who want children view adoption as a last resort. Nebraska Today.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). A Practitioner’s Resource Guide: Helping Families to Support Their LGBT Children. HHS Publication No. PEP14-LGBTKIDS. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.https://familyproject.sfsu.edu/sites/default/files/FamilySupportForLGBTChildrenGuidance.pdf
Turner, C. S. (1999). Adoption journeys: Parents tell their stories. Ithaca, NY: McBooks Press.
UCLA Williams Institute. (2018). How many same-sex couples in the US are raising children? https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/same-sex-parents-us/
