Lesbian
Schoolteacher Awarded Damages in French Adoption Case

An unidentified lesbian schoolteacher was wrongly denied the right to adopt in France because of her sexual orientation, BBC News reported January 22. French law states that it is legal for single people to adopt a child, which implies that adoption is a possible option for single gays and lesbians. Since adoption rights were denied to this woman, the European Court of Human Rights found France in direct violation of Article 9, which declares that individuals' private family lives should be respected, as listed in the Human Rights Convention.

According to BBC News, this case first came before the court in Strasbourg in December 2002. The judges found in favor of the woman 10 to 7 and demanded that France pay the woman 10,000 euros for damages and 14,528 euros in costs. (The Advocate)