Gay Pride Week: Gay New Yorkers Find It Easier To Adopt Than Ever
An increasing number of gay men and women are adopting children, and here in the city, it's easier now than ever before. Cheryl Wills has the story, as NY1's coverage of Gay Pride Week continues.
This past Father's Day was a special one for Brad Hurtado. He and his partner, Sean, celebrated the day with their three and a half year old daughter Grace.
Neither man is Grace's biological parent; they legally adopted her shortly after she was born in Texas. They were even present when Grace came into the world.
“We were lucky enough to be in the delivery room when Grace was born. I was able to cut the umbilical cord and we took her home the next day,” says Hurtado. “It's a really unusual opportunity for gay parents to have that whole experience."
Unusual, but not uncommon. New York - like most states - does not specifically prohibit gays and lesbians from adopting children, and it's estimated that between six and 14 million American children live with at least one gay parent.
A generation ago, it wasn't so easy for gays to adopt.
“Now there are so many agencies that really are willing to work with you that I think it's just about finding the right agency," says Hurtado.
For gays and lesbians, it's a dream come true. Agencies and courts in most states now apply a "best interest of the child" standard to decide these cases.
Some vehemently disagree with gays and lesbians adopting children, and two states - Florida and Mississippi - explicitly prohibit adoption by homosexuals, although research shows the children of lesbian and gay parents grow up just like the children of heterosexual parents.
Some states allow only single men or women to adopt, while in New York gay couples can adopt a child together.
But gay parents like Hurtado admit that life may not always be easy for children like Grace.
“I think any child that is raised by a gay couple will be teased, will feel out of place, will feel like they're being picked on for the reasons that their parents are gay. I think that's a given,” he says. “But there are plenty of kids out there in every school in the world who get picked on because their dad is out of work or their parents are interracial."
But Hurtado says he's not worried about that, because he and his partner plan to shower Grace with love and raise her the way any loving parents would.
