Post submitted by Alison Delpercio, HRC Director of All Children - All Families and Curtis Clinch, HRC Digital Media Specialist

November marks HRC’s annual celebration of National Adoption Month, a nationwide initiative to raise awareness about the need for permanent families for children and youth awaiting adoption in the U.S. foster care system.

Despite the critical need to provide loving homes to children awaiting adoption, many LGBTQ prospective parents continue to face discrimination in the foster care and adoption process. In the past several years, 13 states including Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia have passed laws allowing taxpayer-funded child welfare programs a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

Additionally, LGBTQ youth are disporportionately represented in the child welfare system, often due in part to a lack of supportive environments and affirmation.

For the last decade, the HRC Foundation’s All Children - All Families project has worked to remove these barriers by providing support, resources and tools to increase the capacity of child welfare agencies to welcome and affirm LGBTQ clients. 

This month, HRC is taking action by:

• Training agencies and child welfare professionals on LGBTQ inclusion;
• Connecting prospective parents with critical resources for adoption; 
• Sharing the stories of LGBTQ people impacted by adoption;
• Fighting discriminatory policies from anti-LGBTQ lawmakers. 

All Children - All Families will also be hosting two webinar opportunities this National Adoption Month to spread awareness about issues facing LGBTQ youth and adults. 

November 6: “Creating an Atmosphere of Affirmation & Love for Trans Youth.” 

This session will be led by Ashley Rhodes Courter, MSW, a former foster youth turned adoptive parent. Rhodes is a the New York Times best-selling author of “Three Little Words” and a member of HRC Foundation’s Parents for Transgender Equality National Council. Click here to register.

November 20: “LGBTQ Adult Experiences & Perceptions on Foster Care & Adoption.”

HRC’s All Children - All Families team will present the findings from our 2019 survey co-authored by Clark University’s Dr. Abbie Goldberg, an international expert on LGBTQ adoption. Sign up here. 

Stay up to date by checking out HRC’s blog and follow HRC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout the month as we share powerful stories and access to project resources and tools.

Learn more about the work of All Children – All Families to promote LGBTQ cultural competency in adoption and foster care at hrc.org/acaf. Want to stay up-to-date on All Children - All Families resources and activities? Subscribe to “Field Forward,” the program’s monthly e-newsletter at hrc.im/field-forward.