Yes, loving parents should be the first requirement. No parent, regardless of sexual orientation, should expose their child to their activities in the bedroom. So provide loving homes, private activity is just that. There CAN be a reaction in certain situations to a family, the adults of which are same sex partners. I would think that a gay couple living in a semi-rural town might subject the kid(s) to some pretty unsettling reactions from the local folk. But one can deal with that so it shouldn't exclude the couple from adoption. My nephew and his partner have been together in a wonderful, loving, relationship for over twenty years. I wish that they would consider the possibility of adoption. I can't imagine two people more suitable as parents. They both are devoted to working for people in need, especially those caught in the welfare web.

The option of single parenting also should be promoted. My oldest daughter and my significant other are examples of excellent single parents. My daughter is going to school full time, working full time and is a full time parent. I am so proud of her I could just burst. My SO raised two children one male and one female. These two young (in their twenties) people are exemplary citizens, productive, generous, true contributors to the community's social health. In both families the most important aspect was love and constant, sensitive involvement in the lives of the children. My SO and my daughter share that parenting ability but they are as unalike as one could imagine.

CB