Every responsible, loving adult has the inherent right to share his or her life with a child. Fortunately, today's society realizes that a person's ability to care for a child, and not his or her sexual orientation, should determine parental rights. In our tolerant, accepting generation certain controversial "issues" of the past, like gay and lesbian adoption, are now understood and encouraged.

The idea of gay and lesbian adoption is certainly not new. In recent years, however, this concept has been the subject of much debate. It's now discussed freely and openly because the very subject of alternative lifestyles has become a common topic of discussion. No longer do gays and lesbians feel compelled or obligated to hide their lifestyles. Today, these deserving individuals enjoy the same legal considerations as heterosexual adoptive parents.

Gay and lesbian adoption was, for many years, a subject of attack by government, agencies and society in general. In those days (and, sadly, even today) people actually believed that children might suffer behavioral or emotional harm if they were not raised in the presence of both a man and a woman. There were also those who would try to argue that exposing a young child to homosexuality could potentially affect his or her development. These archaic thinkers held that the child would suffer from delayed sexual maturity, experience negative consequences or even "learn to be gay".

Until recently, homosexual couples were often forced to lie about their personal lives in order to be considered as adoptive parents. One partner would petition for adoption and complete the adoption process, while the other partner would pose as a friend or roommate. While this tactic could prove successful, the very act of adopting a child requires full disclosure and honesty from all parties. These adoptive parents were placed in a very tense situation by being forced to lie about their own fundamental lifestyles.

Society's general acceptance of gay and lesbian adoption has fortunately changed, making legal entitlement much more accessible to couples. Gay adoption is now quite common and potential parents are free to choose from the three basic adoption processes:

Independent Adoption Process

A third party is involved in this process, although it is not a social worker or a representative from a typical adoption agency. Independent adoptions may be facilitated by attorneys and doctors, but the final decisions rest with the families involved. Some states and countries do not accept this process as a legal adoption, but it is widely recognized in many parts of the world.

International Adoption Process

It's been suggested that this is the most complicated and difficult process for gay and lesbian couples. This is because the potential parents must work with an agency when adopting a child from another country, and many countries and cultures still discriminate against homosexuals. It can also be tricky to find an adoption agency that is willing to deal with an international country and can find a child to place with a gay couple.

Public Agency Adoption Process

In this, the most common adoption process, the adoption agency and the courts are involved in the decision to grant or deny the adoption. These groups and delegates should act in the best interest of the child, and put aside their own personal biases. It's been suggested that the attitudes of states and agencies may still be somewhat subjective.

Gay and lesbian adoption, although more common and freely discussed, remains a matter of controversy for certain conservative groups. Homosexual couples may still feel the need to hide their lifestyle from homophobic eyes; however, modern trends of acceptance indicate that the tides are shifting for the better.