Court Rules Oklahoma Anti-Gay Law Unconstitutional genre: Gaylingual & Six Degrees of Speculation
In a ruling favorable to same sex adoptive parents, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver has ruled that an Oklahoma Law designed to ignore adoption orders issued in other states was unconstitutional. The Court ruled that the law violated the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution.
(Denver, Colorado) The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting in Denver, has upheld a lower court ruling that struck down an Oklahoma law described as being so extreme it had the potential to make children adopted by same-sex couples in other states legal orphans when the families are in Oklahoma.
''We hold that final adoption orders by a state court of competent jurisdiction are judgments that must be given full faith and credit under the Constitution by every other state in the nation,'' the 10th Circuit said in its ruling.
''Because the Oklahoma statute at issue categorically rejects a class of out-of-state adoption decrees, it violates the Full Faith and Credit Clause'' of the U.S. Constitution.
Although single gays may become the parent of adoptive children same-sex couples in Oklahoma were barred from adopting and the law allowed the state to invalidate adoptions where couples have been awarded joint parenting rights in states where co-adoption is legal.
The Adoption Invalidation Law, hastily passed at the end of the 2004 Oklahoma legislative session, had said that Oklahoma "shall not recognize an adoption by more than one individual of the same sex from any other state or foreign jurisdiction."
"This was the most extreme example of punishing children because you don't approve of their parents," said Lambda attorney Kenneth Upton.
When I read about such laws, I'm reminded of those on the religious right who like to assert that gays have a militant agenda. I wonder how one should characterize those who push and pass laws that would seek to invalidate parental rights such that a child is orphaned...is that not militant?
Frankly, the vindictiveness and hatred demonstrated by such laws toward gays is disgusting and the "Christians" who support such legislation are not only militant; they insult everything that Christ represented.
The truth of the matter is that groups organized to oppose gay rights have one sole agenda...to establish homosexuality as illegitimate and to enact as many laws as possible to penalize or criminalize all things associated with homosexuality. They couch their bigotry in the expression that they don't hate the homosexual; just the sin...and then they set out to punish the homosexual. Excuse me, but that's little more than a blatant example of bait and switch bullshit.
Even worse, these vile people believe they are doing god's work in attempting to remove these children from their adoptive parents. I'm sure they would argue they are simply looking out for the child...even though the law gave no consideration to evaluating the family's environment.
These same people routinely ignore children who live in abject poverty, children in homes with abusive and alcoholic parents, children in homes with parents who routinely engage in adulterous affairs...seemingly suggesting that such environments are better for children than living with two loving gay parents.
Yes, I find the actions of those who act to treat homosexuals as second class citizens repulsive. Those who couch their bigotry in the rhetoric of religion are an insult to those who actually live as Christians and its time they be properly identified as the mean spirited and judgmental hypocrites they so aptly portray.
Tagged as: Bigotry, Evangelical Extremists, Fanaticism, LGBT, Religious Right, Same-Sex Adoption
Daniel DiRito | August 4, 2007 | 11:34 AM
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