Florida ban on gay adoptions ruled unconstitutional

[babylonsister]

:applause::applause:

Florida ban on gay adoptions ruled unconstitutional

BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER
[e-mail]


A Miami-Dade circuit judge Tuesday declared Florida's 30-year-old ban on gay adoption unconstitutional, allowing a North Miami man to adopt two foster kids he has raised since 2004.

In a 53-page order that sets the stage for what could become a constitutional showdown, Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman permitted 47-year-old Frank Gill to adopt the 4- and 8-year-old boys he and his partner have raised since just before Christmas four years ago. A child abuse investigator had asked Gill to care for the boys temporarily; they were never able to return to their birth parents.

''This is the forum where we try to heal children, find permanent families for them so they can get another chance at what every child should know and feel from birth, and go on to lead productive lives,'' Lederman said in court before releasing the order. ``We pray for them to thrive, but that is a word we rarely hear in dependency court.''

''These children are thriving; it is uncontroverted,'' the judge added.

more...

http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/786605.html

[bluedawg12]

1. Wow!!!!

:fistbump: :fistbump: :fistbump: :fistbump::fistbump: :fistbump: :fistbump: :fistbump:

[Constance Craving]

2. Awesome!

That is just so great. Now hopefully Arkansas will see the light . . .

[rocktivity]

3. CUE THE VONAGE THEME!

And Texas, you're next!

:woohoo:
rocknation

[Zuiderelle]

4. Yes. It's a revolution. They obviously went TOO FAR.

That makes me cry tears of joy too!

[rasputin5]

5. Is this for real?!! HOORAY

You should put this in GD I think!
k&r
:D

[babylonsister]

7. I did but...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4533658&mesg_id=4533658

[Zuiderelle]

8. Kick for GD!

And Recommend.

[Political_Junkie]

6. Best news I've had since Nov 4th.

After the disaster that was amendment 2, I was beginning to wonder what sort of place I had moved to.

[mrbarber]

9. The state is going to appeal.....

The bigots aren't going to let something like helping children stand if it stands in the way of their bigotry and hatefulness.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081125/ap_on_re_us/gay_adoptions

John Stemberger, chairman of a successful drive earlier this month to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Florida, called the ruling "classic judicial activism" and predicted it would be reversed on appeal.

"Everywhere in the law where children are affected, the standard must always be what is in the best interest of the child," said Stemberger, an attorney in Orlando. "What is stunning to me is that when it comes to dealing with gays, that standard goes out the window. Children do better with a mother and a father."

Cancer is to good for this pile of human waste.

[Creideiki]

11. "Children do better with a mother and a father"

Okay. Let's pretend that that is accurate and follow that reasoning.

There have been a few thousand that have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now those families don't have a "mother and a father". I propose that now we take those children immediately into state custody for placement in married households. I also argue that now, with the likely huge number of children under state care, that fostering and adoption proceedings will be compulsory. Every time a child's parent dies or a marriage dissolves due to divorce or death of one spouse, the children will be taken immediately from the home and given to the next married couple in line. Sure, it's intrusive, but let's think about the children, right?

:sarcasm:

[rasputin5]

13. Okay but it'll have to be done pretty damn fast before half of them divorce.

:eyes: :grr:

[uppityperson]

10. k&r for sanity and equal rights. Good.

[tosh]

12. For once, logic prevails.

:toast:

[Ellen Forradalom]

14. Judge believes his own lying eyes

instead of propaganda. Common sense is not dead.

[bluedawg12]

15. "Hope will never be silent” - Harvey Milk

Gay Pride flag above Harvey Milk Plaza in The Castro neighborhood

We gays have a history - and history is on our side.

The Flordia decision is another step forward.

[galledgoblin]

16. yes!

maybe it's just the optimism that comes this time of year to me, but I think we saw the worst in November. the pendulum not only is swinging back, it's gaining momentum from people who didn't accept that we really do face discrimination until they saw it on CNN.

[noiretextatique]

17. the bigots don't seem to understand

they can no longer codify discrimination into law. i'm glad the courts are making that clear.