Adoption, Parenting and Family Activists for the LGBTQ Community
The rights of LGBTQ families to adopt, parent and form a legal entity under the law is a relatively recent issue for the LGBTQ community. To most people, the ability to be a good parent has nothing to do with sexual orientation, a viewpoint that has been adopted by the leading social, psychological and legal organizations.
To advance the issues on these matters, several politicians, activists, lawyers, counselors, psychologists, academics, and other specialists have coalesced from around the world. Several of these individuals are well known, such as actor Rosie O'Donnell of the United States, actor Charlie Condou of Great Britain, and lawyer Harvey Brownstone of Canada.
For many of these individuals, the issues are very personal because they themselves have hit stumbling blocks in trying to adopt, parent and create a family.
There are several activist organizations which have formed to advance the issues. These include the Family Equality Council, the GLBT Family Coalition, and The Family Acceptance Project. Reference material is available on the issue from the Journal of LGBT Family Studies and Gay Parent magazine.
We have identified the following individuals who are active in the issues of adoption, parenting and family matters for the LGBTQ community. Simply click on their names to read their fascinating biographies.
Australia
- Ian Hunter, politician
Canada
- Harvey Brownstone, lawyer
- Kael McKenzie, lawyer
- John McNain, business
- Noreen Stevens, artist
Great Britain
- Charlie Condou, actor
- Victoria McCloud, lawyer
- Soren Stauffer-Kruse, psychologist
Israel
- Uzi Even, activist
Japan
- Aya Kamikawa, politician
New Zealand
- Jacqui Grant, activist
The Netherlands
- Boris Dittrich, politician
- Lisa van Ginneken, politician
United States
- Israel Alguindigue, surrogacy business executive
- Lee Badgett, academic
- Nicole Berner, lawyer, jurist
- Jaymes Black, Family Equality
- Gabriel Blau, activist
- Kylar Broadus, lawyer
- Kevin M. Cathcart, activist
- Duane Cramer, photographer
- Timothy Diehl, activist
- Jason Elliot, politician and lawyer
- Yvette Flunder, religious leader
- Steve Gallardo, politician
- Jennifer Hatch, financial advisor
- Julie Johnson, politician and lawyer
- Joyce Kauffman, lawyer
- Frank Lowe, blogger
- Peter Murphy, politician
- Rosie O'Donnell, actor
- Trina Olsen, activist
- Mac Powell, academic and psychologist
- Jill Rose Quinn, lawyer
- Charles Silverstein, activist and author
- Stan Sloan, activist
- Darren Spedale, writer and business person
- Kara S. Suffredini, activist
