That state of Florida remains at the center of the fight for gay adoption rights in the United States.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled on Jan. 29 that Florida has the right to exclude both single and partnered gay men and women from its pool of potential adoptive parents. The ACLU has asked the court to review its ruling.
The ruling angered GLBT rights advocates across the country. "What a sad day for all Americans," said Rosie O'Donnell after the ruling was announced.
The ACLU and three gay foster fathers challenged Florida's gay adoption ban in the case. Florida is the only state that bars single gay and lesbian people from adopting, yet they are permitted to be foster parents.
The gay adoption cause got a big shot in the arm during 2002 when talk show host Rosie O'Donnell spoke with ABC's Diane Sawyer about her life as a lesbian parent. O'Donnell decided to come out as a way to help call attention to Florida's 25-year-old ban on gay adoptions.
So far, courts in 21 states have ruled in favor of the so-called "second parent" adoptions, and the California Supreme Court is currently reviewing a lower court ruling that appears to invalidate thousands of such adoptions in the state.
Mississippi, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Colorado and Utah ban adoption by same-sex couples (or co-parent adoptions).
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