Florida judge rules state ban on gay adoption unconstitutional

[ck4829]

A Monroe Circuit Court judge has ruled Florida's 31-year-old gay adoption ban unconstitutional in an order that allows an openly gay Key West foster parent to adopt a teenage boy he has raised since 2001.

Declaring the adoption to be in the boy's "best interest", circuit judge David J Audlin Jr, said the Florida law forbidding gays and lesbians from adopting children is contrary to the state constitution because it singles out a group for punishment.

Florida is one of only two states - including Mississippi - that forbid gay people from adopting children.

Though the statute has been found unconstitutional by circuit judges in Florida twice before, both in 1991, another adoption case expected to be heard next month in a Miami courtroom may also provide a new challenge to the law.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/10/usa.gayrights

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Fearless]

2. Ugh... That kind of reverse discrimination...

Fuels the fire they unleash against us.

[MNBrewer]

4. What do you mean "reverse discrimination"?

[Fearless]

5. Reverse Discrimination...

Is the use of the word gay (etc.) as a means to insult, even via implication only, members of the groups of people who are against us in the first place. It is akin to them telling us that we're "faking it" or something similar. The use of such a tactic only serves to feed the fire of their aggression against us and our ways. We should hit back, but not by belittling and cheapening ourselves. We must remember that they are wrong and that by sinking to their level we too are wrong. We can't afford to lose credibility if we want equal rights.

[MNBrewer]

6. I don't disagree with your premise

But I think the phrase "reverse discrimination" is misplaced here. Reverse discrimination is usually reserved for cases where the majority perceives that it is being discriminated against because it is the majority. The message that you replied to is gone, so I can't see it, but I doubt that it had anything to do with "Reverse discrimination".

[Fearless]

8. Contrarily I take a wider view...

That reverse discrimination is the return of discrimination on its originator. Regardless, IMHO of course.

[MNBrewer]

10. Different, anyway,

"Wider" is a matter of opinion.

[Fearless]

11. Meh.

:kick:

[MNBrewer]

12. exactly

[Lost River Ledger]

3. Good enough for foster care......

but not good enough to adopt......oy!

[Iggo]

7. Well, of course it is.

Took them long enough. Out here in California, we usually get rid of the unconstitutional laws pretty quick. Still gets the fundies to the polls, though...which I guess is the whole point to begin with.

[Karl_Bonner_1982]

9. Child welfare...glad someone has their head on straight (no reverse pun intended)

[GodlessBiker]

13. The law is unconstitutional because it violates the rights of children to loving parents.

[sakabatou]

14. And there are more and more children tho need loving parents

every day.