The traditional definition of family is one man and one woman raising their children together but in my opinion blood relations, legal documents, or a last name does not determine family. Traditionally, it would be shocking to think that a child could be raised in a gay household. But it is becoming more acceptable in our society to embrace different ideas of what a family should be, such as the acceptance of gay adoption. In the United States alone, the number of children forced into the foster care system is incredible. According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System Report there were about 423,773 children in foster care in the United States only a couple of years ago. (The Afcars Report, 2010). Gay parents are already serving as foster parents towards children; adoption is simply confirming the legal rights of the gay couple. The sexual orientation of a potential parent looking to adopt should not matter; the child should be placed into a home as long as it is in the best interest of the child.
The number of children in foster care is high, but it can be significantly decreased if we allow children to be adopted by homosexuals. However, there are still negative attitudes towards gay and lesbian adoption, making the process of adoption harder for homosexuals. A study interviewing 776 adoptive parents showed the differences in attitudes between married fathers, married mothers, and single mothers “The factors determining negative judgment of gay adoption varied depending on each group but the common views were affected by religious background, conservative political ideology, and a lower level of education” (Averett, Strong-Blakeney, Nalavany, & Ryan, 2011). Homosexuals and heterosexuals alike have parental instincts and the interest in beginning families and raising children. A family should be based on love and trust, if these two