By Gina Jordan
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-947459.mp3
Tallahassee, FL –
Two events this week got the attention of gay adoption advocates. Martin Gill and
his two sons were in a South Florida courtroom for a ceremony marking the final
step in the adoption process. Gill and his partner had been foster parents to the two brothers for six years, and with help from the American Civil Liberties Union,
successfully fought Florida's 33-year-old ban on gay adoption. The ban was
overturned late last year. Gina Jordan reports the other notable event was the
appointment of a new leader for the Department of Children and Families.
It would be difficult to fight the lifting of the ban on gays adopting. Courts found it to be unconstitutional, and the deadline for the state to file an appeal has passed. Attorney General Pam Bondi has no plans to do anything else about it.
"No, we're following through with what General McCollum did on that and chose not to continue with that."
David Wilkins has been named as Secretary of the Department of Children and Families. He was appointed by Governor Rick Scott, who told reporters gathered at the Capitol that Wilkins was an accomplished leader at Accenture Health and Public Service, responsible for billions of dollars in revenue.
"He's an experienced executive, and on top of that he is very focused on children's issues and family's issues. That's what his passion is; you try to find people who really have a passion about something."
Since retiring from Accenture, Wilkins has been working with the Florida Baptist Children's Homes, which among other things provides adoption assistance. The charity requires adoptive parents to be Christians who are active churchgoers. Scott was asked how Wilkins can be expected to enforce a law allowing gays to adopt when he personally opposes it.
"I'm the governor, so whatever my position will be will be the position that will be enforced."
Scott says he is opposed to gay adoption, but he hasn't had any discussions with Wilkins about the ruling that overturned the ban.
"I believe that adoption should be by a married couple, and I still, I haven't changed."
While gay marriage is legal in a handful of states, it's not recognized in Florida. And as Howard Simon, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida points out, this isn't just about gays adopting. Plenty of heterosexual singles adopt.
"If you talk to any of the judges in the Miami Dade County area, they'll tell you that close to two-thirds or three-quarters of the adoptions that take place in their courtroom are by single people. You can't live in a fantasy world that everything is going to be like Ozzie and Harriett and in the best possible world children are gonna be adopted by a married couple. If that is your standard, then the number of children that are gonna be trapped in Florida's foster care system is going to increase dramatically."
Simon isn't aware of any plans by state leaders to try to again remove gays' rights to adopt, although he understands the legislature could make such a move during the upcoming session. He is concerned about Scott's comments regarding his personal position on the issues.
"I was a little troubled by the governor's statement that this is his opinion
about what things should be, the way things should be, and because it is his opinion that's what public policy should be in Florida. And I thought that was going way beyond this question of adoption."
The ACLU of Florida will gather a meeting in Orlando on February 5th. Part of the discussion will include how they will protect the gay adoption ruling from possible legal attacks.