SC Equality
I’ve been a little bummed out lately. You see, last week I was meeting with some wonderful folks from the South Carolina Equality Coalition (SC’s statewide organization devoted to advancing civil rights for the GLBT community) about joining their Board of Directors. During this brief meeting (where I had a delicious salad from California Dreaming—yummy), I was informed that the SC Republicans will most likely attempt to pass an anti-gay adoption bill in the state. This bill (which probably wouldn’t pass until 2010) would prohibit any unmarried couple from adopting a child in SC. Not surprisingly, it has quite a bit of support in the conservative state of South Carolina. Currently, gays and lesbians cannot file jointly to adopt a child in SC. There is no law officially prohibiting it; the state just doesn’t allow it. Gays and lesbians can file as single individuals in order to adopt, but this typically requires the adopter to deny being GLBT. This new anti-gay adoption law would prohibit any single person—GLBT or straight—from adopting. Basically, the law asserts that only a married man and woman are equipped to raise a child. Not even a straight, single, successful 40-year-old career woman could adopt—much less a lesbian couple. A law like this would be a tremendous blow to Addison and me. We want to start a family in a few years, and under a law like the one detailed in the anti-gay adoption bill, I would not be able to pursue second-parent adoption if Addison had our children, and she and I would not be able to adopt together as a couple. Effectively, we would have no way to have equal legal custody of our children. This is incredibly frustrating. We’re watching some states move forward, and it’s amazing. Vermont and Iowa have just allowed for gay marriages to be performed in their states, and it’s an exciting, wonderful time. But it feels like South Carolina is moving backward. We’re headed toward the passing of a law that would take away even more rights from the GLBT community. We’re headed in the wrong direction. The South Carolina Equality Coalition (SCEC) is working hard, and they’ve had some significant successes. But it won’t be easy to fight the anti-gay adoption bill. Florida has had one for years. Arkansas passed theirs in November 2008. What can we do to stop one from passing here? I’m not sure what exactly, but I can’t sit around and watch anymore. I have to join the fight. I am officially beginning the process to join the Board of SC Equality. I can’t sit back any longer while the GLBT community is beaten down. I must fight back. I don’t know what Addison and I will do if we lose the fight against this anti-gay adoption bill. I have to be honest and admit that she and I will have to seriously consider whether SC is where we want to start our family. With no relationship recognition and no adoption rights, it’s almost impossible to see how SC could be right for us. But we won’t make these tough decisions just yet. The fight has barely begun, and I am excited to be joining the ranks of the passionate people at SCEC committed to making a difference for our community. -Jess
