It's a Hard Knock Life For Gay Foster Kids

I don’t really like kids. I mean, I would never beat them, or anything. They just sort of grate on my nerves. And I know that kids are technically necessary for human beings as a species to remain, so I tolerate their piercing voices and inability to walk in a straight line at the farmer’s market. I’m just saying that kids aren’t my thing. But … I also cling the quaint belief that once a kid is here, it’s our responsibility to make sure they grow up as healthy and happy as possible. As a recent piece from Mother Jones points out, all too often, LGBT foster kids are being left in the dust.

The article recounts the story of Kenneth Jones, a gay teen who has been bounced from house to house because foster parents would not accept his sexuality. But his story is not isolated. For example, the article cites Jerry Walters, vice president of the Boys’ Home Association, saying that in a recent survey conducted by the organization, only 21 out of 246 families were willing to take in a LGBT child.

This is clearly horrifying; shameful, even. But the article gives some reason to hope. Several states have taken steps to address this horrible situation. Recruiting more gay and lesbian couples into the foster parent fold is one solution, but laws that strike at the ability of gay couples to adopt are counterproductive.

Only 17 states either explicitly allow gay couples to jointly adopt a child or have court precedent to that effect. Both Mississippi and Utah prohibit gay people from adopting, and Michigan only allows married couples to jointly adopt. The picture is slightly rosier for second-parent adoption: 25 states and Washington, D.C. allow a gay person to adopt his or her partner’s child. But this leaves the status of a gay couple who wants to adopt up in the air.

There are, of course, a myriad of reasons why gay couples aren’t rushing to be foster parents. Probably a lot of the same reasons straight couples aren’t rushing to be foster parents. And, to be honest, there is probably not one solution. More gay foster families would be great, but stories like Kenneth’s shows how ignorant – willful or otherwise – people are about healthy sexuality and what it means to be accepted completely. In the meantime, these invisible kids are being left behind.

Photo credit: RyanWelshPhotography.com