Placing Your Child with LGBTQ Adoptive Parents

This is an absolute affirmation that LGBTQ adoptive parents are wonderful, and equally deserving of parenthood, as any other type of adoptive family. There are many advantages to placing your child with a same-sex couple or individual. Unfortunately, there are also many challenges, and that is something we should be working towards rectifying everyday as a people. Thankfully, Colorado law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. 

We at Adoption Choices of Colorado wholeheartedly embrace any prospective adoptive parent who comes to us to start a family. 

Looking to Parent

As a birth mother, you want your child to be placed with the most  loving and supportive people possible. Obviously, sexual orientation is not what determines the content of someone’s character. However, it is a reality that same-sex couples and individuals cannot conceive a child on their own. Aside from artificial insemination or surrogacy, adoption is often their only route. 

As such, they are highly committed, and deeply invested in the adoption process. They want to work with you, and their top concern is the betterment of your child. This is something every birth mother should receive at minimum from any prospective adoptive family. 

Open-Mindedness 

Being raised by same-sex adoptive parents has proven to foster open-mindness in children. This, as a result, has helped shape adoptees into more loving, respectful and accepting adults overall. Placing your child with LGBTQ adoptive parents will be similar. Your child will understand that there are many different kinds of families, all who need to be respected and appreciated. There are different cultures, races, and ethnicities, and that should be celebrated. Individuality is important, and makes us who we are. Your child will also gain a healthier and stronger sense of self and identity this way. 

Supporting One Another 

It is an unfortunate truth that prospective LGBTQ adoptive parents can face a lot of discrimination. Uneducated or uninformed people believe that members of the LGBTQ community shouldn’t have a right to be parents, and try to dissolve their attempts to adopt. By selecting a loving, committed, same-sex couple or individual to place your child with, you are helping to diminish that hateful narrative. You are helping to further progression and making a family’s dreams come true. 

Things to Keep in Mind 

  • Being raised by LGBTQ adoptive parents will not turn your child gay. One of the most frequent arguments made against members of the LGBTQ community who are pursuing adoption is that they are going to “turn the child gay.” This belief is derogatory, dehumanizing, and categorically untrue. There is no evidence to support this claim, or to prove that growing up with same-sex parents impacts a child differently than growing up with heterosexual parents. We do an enormous disservice to the LGBTQ community by parusing this narrative. 
  • Your child may be subject to discrimination. Birth mothers often fear that their child will be the subject of bullying, because he or she is raised by LGBTQ parents. This is another unfortunate possibility. Bullying is a massive problem among young children. Words hurt, and they can cut a young kid to the core. However, this should not dissuade you from placing your child with an LGBTQ couple or individual. Because they may have faced similar instances of judgment and prejudice, your child’s adoptive parents will surround him or her with love, support and comfort. They will teach your child about hate and ignorance, and the power of identity and self-worth. As a result, your child will learn to stand up for themselves and choose compassion in times like this.

If you are experiencing any of these fears, it’s perfectly okay to talk to one of the counselors at Adoption Choices of Colorado. There are a lot of extreme emotions that you may experience during your adoption journey, and we understand that. We have specialized Birth Parent Counselors that you can speak with, or you can attend LifeTime Healing, a support group for birth mothers. 

This Isn’t Goodbye 

The adoption process may seem incredibly overwhelming, but bare in mind that you hold the power. You are looking to give your child the best life possible, and that is the most that anyone can ask of a birth mother. There are many wonderful same-sex couples and indivuduals out there who are ready to take on the mantle of parenthood, and are ready to include you in the journey as well. 

Adoption Choices of Colorado advocates heavily for open adoptions. This is so you can remain a part of your child’s life and watch them grow into the person they are meant to be. Many adoptive parents are more than happy to facilitate this kind of relationship, and agree to open adoption agreements, as it will prove beneficial for both you and your child. Additionally, being secure in the knowledge that your child is being raised in a safe environment could propel you to move on with your own life and create and cultivate a beneficial environment of your own. 

If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.

Meet the Author: Katherine Burns is a journalism student at Loyola University Maryland with plans to pursue a career in the news and magazine industries. With over three years of experience writing for the Greyhound Newspaper at Loyola, Katherine specializes in Op-eds. However, she has recently branched out to cover a variety of topics, including education and sports journalism. She also has ample experience with travel blogging. 

Katherine has conducted a variety of interviews in her time at Loyola and has displayed her stories through differing forms of media. In addition to her studies at Loyola, Katherine spent the fall of 2019 studying communications at the American University of Paris.To learn more about Katherine, be sure to check her out on social media.

Pin It on Pinterest