Lesbian & Gay Adoption issues
Overseas adoption by lesbians and gay men remains very difficult.Shirin a 30 year old lesbian originally from Iran, but now living in Canada wants to adopt a child from Iran, but can't. Iran (and many other countries) deem her unsuitable, because she is gay.
Many countries class lesbians and gay men as single and so cannot adopt, with preference going to heterosexual couples. The same countries also expressly forbid adoption by openly gay women.
International adoption is an expensive and time-consuming business, costing between $25-50,000 per child.
Many women simply decide to conceal their sexual orientation to get through the entire process. As painful as this is, many see this as unavoidable and worth the pain if it means a successful adoption.
Under the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoptions keeping children in their home countries and within their own families is a priority.
Whilst lesbians face serious difficulties with foreign adoptions, the situation is even worse for gay men.
As social equality for LGBT individuals has grown in Canada and other western countries foreign adoption has become more difficult for the LGBT community.
Read the full story at: this.org