FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEWashington, DC, April 14, 2014-Family Equality Council, the national organization which connects, supports, and represents the three million parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer in the United States and their six million children of all ages, today strongly condemned Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes for asking a state appeals court to halt two recently approved adoptions for married same-sex couples in that state. According to news reports, in both cases, just one of the partners is considered a legal parent of a child they are raising together.
The two couples are among the nearly 1,400 gay and lesbian partners who wed after a federal judge ruled Utah’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples unconstitutional. The ruling was eventually stayed pending appeal. Only married couples can jointly adopt in Utah and many of the same-sex couples who married before the stay are now applying for adoption protections for their children.
“Attorney General Reyes’ actions against LGBTQ families in Utah are reprehensible,” said Executive Director, Gabriel Blau. “Reyes’ moves are not only detrimental to the two families involved, but to all children of same-sex couples in Utah who lack the protection and security of both of their parents. By asking judges to deny adoption protections, he is hurting families and ignoring the best interests of children. We urge him to immediately withdraw his request, recognize the jurisdiction of the courts and stop impeding families who are simply trying to take care of each other.”
Contact: Cindi Creager, CreagerCole Communications
(646) 279-4559, cindi@creagercole.com