I read with some dismay that the State Board of Social Services is considering letting discrimination against the fundamental identity of prospective parents, and not the best interests of the child, play a role in adoption. As others have said:
The best interests of the child should be the sole factor in deciding whether a child should be placed with a prospective foster care or adoptive parent or parents
State-licensed child placing agencies should not be allowed to discriminate against children or prospective parents based on race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, political beliefs, sexual orientation, disability and family status.
The child's welfare should be the beginning, middle, and end of any analysis regarding placement. Indulgence of bigotry should have no role. I hope the State Board of Social Services' decision will reflect this.