Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Florida: Slowly Becoming Livable

Anita Bryant.  Hanging Chads.  That Koran burning guy.  Pastel colored linen pants.  These are all things that make Florida America's most visited cultural wasteland.  Oh sure, that Mouse and his friends have set up shop in Orlando but let's face it, when you're surrounded by alligators, pigeon sized mosquitoes, and NASCAR, even that seems like paradise.  But for families, Florida is known for one other thing--banning gay people from adopting children.  There are other states that make adoption by gay people difficult but at least Florida is straight up about it.  Mississippi bans "same gender couples" (but strangely, not singles) and Utah bans unmarried couples (when you first outlaw "gay" marriage, that equates to "no fags") but The Sunshine State specifically calls out homosexuals. 

In a nutshell, the 33 year old ban was called unconstitutional by a state appeals court when a gay couple, which was legally fostering two boys, filed suit in order to adopt.  I can't imagine being an approved foster family and knowing that at any time your kids could be taken away from you.  How could it possibly be good for anyone to have kids growing up for years in a loving family and then being ripped away because their parents happen to be fans of Bette Midler and collect Wizard of Oz memorabilia?

All kidding aside, Florida has taken a step towards the 21st century with this ruling.  There are many couples who live there that have wanted families but couldn't have them.  I personally know a couple who moved from Florida, leaving family and friends, to go to California for the purpose of adopting.  Leaving your extended family behind to have kids.  Yup, that promotes family values.

On another note, the pastor of a mega church has been accused of going after 17 and 18 year old boys attempting to "seduce them with cars, money, clothes, jewelry, international trips and access to celebrities".  Wow, he had me at cars and money.  Proving once again that religion is more dangerous to our children than a loving same sex family.

Doing Just Fine With Those Two Loving Daddies

10 comments:

Michaela said...

Awww, she's so cute. :-) Thanks for sharing. Love to read your "to the point" articles.

jon said...

It's a great victory for gay rights but I'm concerned this will become fodder for the extreme right in Florida to use in November. Floridians on the whole, I have found, tend to embrace conservatism more easily than liberalism. As is usually the case in "sunshine" states. Go figure...

Stacey said...

Crazy laws. Yeah, religion makes me feel a mix of emotions. Not all religion is bad but so many stories are. There was a priest handing out flyers this morning downtown and I immediately wondered if he preached against the gays.

the victory is long overdue! Never understood how Florida could be so backasswards. We're heading there in March to see the Mouse. Only thing they're good for. ;)

What a cute girl you have. Our daughter has the same dress. :)

Anonymous said...

Don't forget about the roaming lizards that run all over the place and enter your house without invitation... lol

I actually cried when reading the article about the gay adoption ban. I was so happy and while talking about it with Holly, I cried again. You see, we've been trying for over 2 years and now there is this new world opening up for us that was never an option before. It's a great day in Florida for the gays.

Leah said...

Great post! And I totally agree. . . religion can be more dangerous than anything else in this world.

Anonymous said...

Florida will never change. It's been a backwater as long as one can remember. You have too many small-minded people trying to protect what little they have and who can't see beyond their own shallow interests.

Mike and Mike said...

From what I understand, the extreme right have a new target...immigrants. I never did understand Florida, but the obligatory pilgrimage to the Mouse will be in order by the time our girls are 6. That is providing the Mouse survives the economy.

mommy3 said...

It's just time. Let's bring down FL and then kick ass on Prop 8 in CA. I'm so sick of narrow-minded, stupid people trying to decide what families should be able to do with their lives.

On another note, love Ms. S' dress in this post. So grown up on her!

Unknown said...

mommy3 wait till you see the gorgeous dress she's wearing to her first New York trip next month. We got her this lovely looking formal gown for the wedding we are attending and it looks so adorable on her.

Lisa T. said...

Yea! So happy to hear this weekend about New York too!