Tag Archives: Gay Adoption

Rosie O’Donnell Talks About The Importance of Family to Aspiring LGBT Parents

GaysWithKids.com recently caught up with Rosie O’Donnell at Cyndi Lauper’s fundraiser for LGBTI youth homeless,  in New York, and the TV Star took the opportunity to share her thoughts on gay parenting.

O’Donnell, who is a mother to five children (aged 19, 17, 15, 12 and 2 years),  gave advice to aspiring LGBT parents.

“I would tell them what I would tell any one; that it’s the best thing that you can ever do for yourself, to become a parent.”

Rosie O’Donnell

In the video below, O’Donnell acknowledged that adoption and fostering are often the ways in which gay people create their families. She felt this was something that some gay people were particularly attuned to because, historically, some had been turned away by their own families and forced to create their own.

“So many gay people are kicked out of their families, at least in our history, that we learned how to make our own. I mean, so many Thanksgivings it was all the peoples whose parents wouldn’t allow their partners to come with them; we’d have the gathering of all the people rejected from their actual home, and we learned how to make our families.

Blood doesn’t make a family; love makes a family. I would say to everyone out there, there are so many kids needing homes, and it’s the best thing you can ever do for yourself.”

Rosie O’Donnell

Watch:

Lesbian Couple in Taiwan Battle for Recognition of Their Two Children

Chou Shu-chi and Wang Shu-yi – a lesbian couple in Taiwan are petitioning the local courts to rectify laws which currently bar one of the women from claiming two of their children as her own.

The couple, who have known each other since they were university students and have been together for 15 years, decided four years ago to start a family in Canada. After artificially insemination, Chou gave birth to two children, a girl and a boy.

Chou Shu-chi and Wang Shu-yi

Upon their return to Taiwan, the couple learned that Wang is legally barred from custody of the children she raised and has considered her own since their conception. Taiwan laws forbid and do not recognize marriage between same-sex couples. Therefore the children are technically under the custody of only their living biological mother. Also the laws do not prevent gay singles from adopting children. The couple hope to rectify this, by submitting their case to the Shilin District Court.

The two children are now three years old and are recognized by the couple’s parents, family members and friends as their children, but only Chou is registered as their legal parent in accordance with Taiwan laws.

Wang has expressed her concerns that in the event that something happened to Chou, her children will be taken away, nor would they be able to inherit her assets when she passes away.

Wang hopes to certify her parenthood by applying through court in what would be a landmark case for Taiwan’s custody laws.

A spokesperson for the Taiwan LGBT Family Rights Advocacy said that Wang has already built up strong family ties with the children, but will have to go the route of adoption if she wants to earn legal custody.