DCF, lawyers at odds over fate of gay man’s adopted kids
by Dara Kam | November 23rd, 2009Department of Children and Families officials insist that the foster kids living with Martin Gill for nearly five years aren’t going anywhere.
But the agency’s own lawyers told a judge that the two boys adopted by Gill should be “made available for adoption” elsewhere, something Gill can’t legally do because he’s gay.
Despite DCF’s insistence that the Gill family won’t be affected by its appeal of the adoption, the agency has made a test case out of the gay man’s adoption and intends to take the case to the Florida Supreme Court to decide once and for all if Florida’s ban on gay adoption is unconstitutional.
DCF has paid Attorney General Bill McCollum’s office nearly $400,000 so far on the case, and it has yet to make its way to the high court.
Read more about the disconnect between DCF and its own high-paid lawyers here.
Tags: Bill McCollum, DCF, Department of Children and Families, gay adoption, Martin Gill
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Sentenced to die for crimes judged heinous and cruel, inmates await execution in a 9 feet by 6 feet cell.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:51 am
What a tremendous waste of public funds. There has to be a better way to resolve this issue.
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:49 am
He is “good enough” to foster these children for 5 years, but not “good enough” to adopt them. Please! If the state is so against gays adopting, then don’t let them foster. The state plays games with these children and families. A great way to raise sociopaths. Let the man adopt these boys. It is the only family they have. What a disservice to the children.
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:29 pm
This is absolutely NUTS! If this man is qualified to have these kids in his home this long, then he is certainly qualified to adopt them and keep them there. Ripping these children from his care and home would NOT be in the best interest of the children, and, more likely, would endanger their mental and emotional health over all.
It’s about time these “well intentioned” moron attorneys for the DFC start doing something beneficial for children and focus on the scum bags that maime, neglect and abuse children.
Hang in there Mr. Gill!! At least to workers at the DFC are on your side.
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Where is Charlie Crist when it comes to the issue of adoption?
Friday, November 20th, Charlie Crist said this in a Governor’s video
address, “On any given day in Florida, about 850 children in foster care
are waiting to become part of a forever family.”
As Crist asks us to celebrate November as National Adoption Month, he’s
pushing the Florida Dept of Children and Family lawyers to ask the judge to put a gay man’s kids back up for adoption.
Crist’s own words show he is a hypocrite by denying children healthy homes with willing families.
Again, Charlie Crist is on the wrong side of this issue. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSaoRMNefjQ
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Representative Brandenburg has a great bill that will fix this problem. Support HB 3 to end this problem.