I have friends who are gay parents. Their kids are well adjusted and by the way - heterosexual.

What every child needs is a loving home environment. Religious institutions should not and will not be required to change their core values. However, when they are performing a function that is basically a public function, they must be held to public standards. Those standards must include no discrimination based on race, religion or sexual orientation.

Imagine the reaction if a Islamic group was the primary adoption agency in the state and in setting up adoptions only allowed Muslims to adopt kids or if an Africa American agency was the only adoption agency and would refuse to allow white couples to adopt or if a gay agency was the largest adoption agency in the state and rejected heterosexual couples. Imagine the reaction to each of these cases. 

But while the impact to the potential adoptive parents who would be rejected would be wrong and cause a great deal of reaction and anger it would also harm the many children who would not be adopted or placed in foster care.  The same is true for rejecting gay and lesbian parents.  It is wrong and hurtful to potential adoptive gay and lesbian parents but also will harm the many children left unadopted or not placed in foster homes.

The proposed change will not require all couples to be homosexual just like it doesn’t require all couples to be white or Catholic. There are lots of children in need of loving homes. Let’s not eliminate good loving homes because of unfounded prejudices that are not backed by facts. 

Here are the facts: Years of scientific research shows that children raised in gay (& lesbian) households have exactly the same opportunities and chances to lead healthy and fulfilling lives as every other child.  There is no credible evidence, from reputable, peer-reviewed scientific sources, that children raised by gay and lesbian parents suffer disadvantages. 

Thanks for changing the regulation to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and for putting the children's welfare first.