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Gay & Lesbian Adoptive Parents

Information | Facts | Resources | Stories

Resources for Gay & Lesbian Adoptive Parents

Some of these resources are intended specifically for adoptive Gay & Lesbian Parenting; most serve gay and lesbian families of all types. Please confirm all meeting dates. Let us know of any resources we’ve missed!

National

Transition to Adoptive Parenthood Project (TAPP): This is the first-ever study to focus on same-sex couples' transition to adoptive parenthood. It is being conducted by Abbie Goldberg, PhD, at Clark University in Massachusetts. Please contact her for information about how to participate. Couples will be interviewed over the phone before and after they adopt for the first time. All couples will receive information about the results. Go to www.clarku.edu/faculty/goldberg/ to learn more about Dr. Goldberg's research.

COLAGE: Children of Lesbians & Gays Everywhere – San Francisco-based international nonprofit supporting young people with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered parents. Offers pen pal program, Family Week event and more. U.S. chapters in Portland, Seattle and San Francisco. www.colage.org 415-861-KIDS

Families Like Mine – Created by Abigail Garner, author of Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell it Like Is (see reading list below), this web site provides support, advice, networking, resources, and workshop information for adults and mature teens of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered parents. www.familieslikemine.com

Family Pride Coalition – Washington D.C.-based nonprofit advancing the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered parents and their families through mutual support, community collaboration, and public understanding. Provides information about local parenting groups, newsletters, workshops and events, and various other resources. www.familypride.org 202-331-5015

Human Rights Campaign – Powerful Washington D.C.-based nonprofit advocates for all aspects of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered equality. Web site’s “family” section includes information about adoption. www.hrc.org 202-628-4160

Love Makes A Family – Portland-based organization with national membership, emphasis on advocacy. Offers newsletter, speaker training and resources. See Oregon listing for more info. www.lmfamily.org 503-228-3892

National Adoption Information Clearinghouse – Provides several publications on gay and lesbian parenting and adoption law. www.naic.acf.gov

PFLAG – Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays is a national nonprofit organization with a diverse advocacy and support mission. See www.pflag.org for a list of chapters (found in many cities in the Northwest), programs and resources. 202-467-8180

Transition to Adoptive Parenthood Project (TAPP) – This is the first-ever study to focus on same-sex couples' transition to adoptive parenthood. It is being conducted by Abbie Goldberg, PhD, at Clark University in Massachusetts. Please contact her for information about how to participate. Couples will be interviewed over the phone before and after they adopt for the first time. All couples will receive information about the results. Go to http://www.clarku.edu/faculty/goldberg/index.html to learn more about Dr. Goldberg's research.

Oregon

Abdill-Ellis Lambda Community Center – Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community center located in Ashland. Holds family support meetings, including meetings of the Family Pride Coalition of Southern Oregon. www.abdellis.org

Family Values – Eugene gay and lesbian parenting and youth support group. For more information, contact Katie Strong at katie@efn.org or call 541-485-9953.

Love Makes a Family – Advocacy organization offering support groups for gay and lesbian families. Metro Portland Group meets the last Friday of each month. Clark Country Group meets the third Friday of the month in Vancouver, WA. The Dad’s Group (for gay, bi, trans or questioning dads) meets the first Tuesday and the third Wednesday of each month; call for location. www.lmfamily.org and www.thedadsgroup.com 503-228-3892

Rainbow Rascals Junior – Gay & lesbian adoptive parent support and play group started by OA&FS adoptive parents. For information, e-mail Jackie or Lee at jaha@redjellyfish.net.

Washington

Families Like Ours – Seattle-based nonprofit providing centralized resource for information and support to nontraditional adoptive and pre-adoptive families. Web site includes resource list, FAQ and more. www.familieslikeours.org

Gay Fathers Association of Seattle – Parenting group providing support and social groups, resource lists, workshop and more. www.gfas.org 206-324-4359

Rainbow Families of Puget Sound – Social and informal parenting support groups and resources. www.rainbowfamiliesps.org

San Francisco

Jonathan Pannor – San Francisco-based social worker and family therapist leads workshops about adoption, some specific to adoption in the gay and lesbian community. www.post-adoption.org

Our Family Coalition – Large Bay-area group focusing on education, advocacy, social networking and grassroots community organizing. www.ourfamily.org 415-981-1960

Reading

About.com – General information web site publishes list of resources and articles about gay & lesbian parenting and prints list of books for adopted children with gay/lesbian parents. http://adoption.about.com/od/gaylesbian/a/readinglistkids.html, http://adoption.about.com/od/gaylesbian/#more

American Psychological Association – The APA publishes a list of books on gay and lesbian parenting. http://www.apa.org/pi/l&bbks.html

And Baby – Bimonthly magazine covering a wide spectrum of parenting issues (serious and light-hearted) for a gay and lesbian audience. www.andbabymag.com

Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell it Like it Is – Book by Abigail Garner. Published by HarperCollins, 2004.

In the Family – Magazine focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered family life from a professional mental health angle. www.inthefamily.com 520-579-8043

The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided To Go Get Pregnant: An Adoption Story – Book by Seattle celebrity Dan Savage about his and his partner’s experience adopting through OA&FS. Published by Plume, 2000.