Its 2011, I am appauled that so many things regarding the LGBT community are still being handled like its 1961.  It's been proven again and again that people in this culture are not child molesters, sexual deviants, or mentally ill.  They are law abiding, tax paying, compassionate people who want nothing more than to have a place in the world where they can have a family, the freedoms, comforts, and securities afforded to straight people, and enjoy the same protections and promises given to every other American citizen. 

Can someone tell me why it is still an issue for members of the GLBT communty to foster or adopt a child in Virginia?  We have so many kids in the system that we are unable to provide for them.  When kids get shuffled around as many of them do, it creates a myriad of problems:   lower self-esteem, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, suicide, lower eucation and literacy issues, incarceration.  The list goes on and on.  What's worse, we teach these kids how to treat others, so when they do grow up and have families, they are ill-equiped to have successful relationship because they were not exposed to them as children.  

There are so many families waiting and wanting to have children in their home.  They would make  excellent role models as foster or adoptive parents.  The system could be relieved of so many children who just want a comfortable and safe place to fall and call home.  I came out in 1980 and raised two children on my own from the time they were four and one.  Now grown, they are both married and have given me three wonderful grandchildren.  They have amazing relationships with their spouses and are full productive members of society.  Isn't this what we want of our kids in the system?  Gender roles should be the last thing on the list to exclude someone from being a potential candidate to foster or adopt.   What straight people do in the privacy of their bedroom isn't an issue when it comes to qualifications.  Why is it for GLBt candidates? Its time that stereotypes be broken and those who hide behind their bibles stop and start thinking about the kids.  They are the ones who suffer while the political darts are thrown.