World
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
An attorney for the state of Florida defended the strict ban on adoption by gays in appeals court on Wednesday by arguing that gay people in general exhibit higher rates of domestic violence, psychiatric disorders, and breakups, reports the Daily Business Review.
Arguments were made before a three-judge panel and standing-room-only crowd in the case of Frank Martin Gill (pictured, left), a North Miami man who seeks to adopt two young boys for whom he and his partner have served as foster parents for four years.
Florida law allows gays and lesbians to serve as foster parents, but a sweeping ban from 1977 prohibits them from adopting.
Deputy solicitor general Timothy Osterhaus cited statistics that he said justified the broad exclusion of gay people from adoption in Florida. Leslie Cooper, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union representing Gill, disputed the statistics. She countered that gay people experience no higher rates of domestic violence or breakups when partnered in relationships that involve children.
Last November, Miami-Dade County circuit judge Cindy S. Lederman ruled in the Gill case that the ban was unconstitutional, and she said she found "no rational basis" for prohibiting gays and lesbians from adopting.
In making his arguments for the state Wednesday, Osterhaus did not contest the individual fitness of Gill to adopt the boys. However, he said the instability of gay homes in general made the ban rational. Attorneys for Gill argued for making adoption decisions on an individual, and not a group, basis.
The case is expected to reach the Florida supreme court.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Black trans woman África Parrilla García shot to death in Puerto Rico
April 18 2024 4:55 PM
Marjorie Taylor Greene has sunk so low even Fox News can't stand her anymore
April 18 2024 4:04 PM
Single lesbians are avoided by straight women, but not straight men. Here's why.
April 18 2024 3:18 PM
The LGBTQ+ movie fan's guide to the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival
April 18 2024 2:44 PM
The federal government failed on mpox. Ritchie Torres's new bill addresses that (exclusive)
April 18 2024 1:21 PM
True
In the face of tweets and turmoil, why I left the South as a medical student
April 18 2024 7:30 AM
Trans man Tee Arnold shot to death in Florida
April 17 2024 4:41 PM
Can scientific research on the causes of homosexuality be used against LGBTQ+ people?
April 17 2024 4:02 PM