FAQ About LGBTQ+ Adoption with an Agency in Texas

There’s a lot of questions that come up when you’re LGBTQ+ and looking to put your baby up for adoption. Are you allowed to put your baby up for adoption? Are gay families allowed to adopt? Are there non-discrimination practices in place in Texas? These questions and more can make the adoption process all the more complicated. Adoption Choices of Texas hopes to answer all of your questions.

If you need help with adoption now, you can call us at 888-307-3340, text us at 888-307-3340, or email us here.

Does Adoption Choices Work with LGBTQ+ Parents?

Adoption Choices of Texas is committed to helping the LGBTQ+ community in every aspect of our services. We’ll help all birth parents who come through our doors to put their baby up for adoption. As for adoptive parents, we also work with LGBTQ+ couples to adopt children. We help them understand adoption requirements and give them the tools they need to pass the home study.

Can Same-Sex Couples Raise Good Children?

Some parents may be concerned about a same-sex couple adopting their child. It can be hard to imagine, especially if you have never met gay or lesbian parents before. But research has shown that same-sex couples are just as good at raising children as straight couples. As opposed to one parent doing the “mom” things and one parent doing the “dad” things, both parents tend to share responsibilities equally. Children of same-sex parents are also loving and accepting of people from who they’re different. These children are also no more or less likely to end up gay or straight—that remains up to them. School scores among children of same-sex children are also, on average similar to children of straight couples.

Does Texas Allow Unmarried Couples to Adopt?

Texas does allow unmarried couples to adopt children. Some same-sex couples may remain in long-term relationships without getting legally married for personal or financial reasons. During the interview with an adoptive family, you will have the opportunity to ask them about their living situation and plans for the future.

What Are the Requirements for Same-Sex Adoption?

The requirements for LGBT+ parents looking to adopt are the same as the requirements for straight couples. These are two-fold: the first is the home study and government requirements for adoption, and the other is Adoption Choices of Texas’ own requirements for adoptive parents.

The home study is an in-depth process that makes sure adoptive families are ready to adopt your child. The local government completes a background check, and the family has to fill out paperwork and take part in an interview in order to assess their ability to adopt a child. An adoption attorney or district judge sees the results of the home study, but they’re otherwise completely confidential. All you need to know is that all potential adoptive families have passed their home studies and meet all requirements to adopt.

We also have our own requirements for adoptive families. They can’t reject children’s healthcare for religious or any other reasons, and we interview them personally to make sure they’re ready to adopt. We also provide a myriad of pre-adoption training materials so they can know what to expect after adopting. The adoptive family will fill out a biography with information about themselves along with pictures. We do our best to make sure you’ll feel happy to let these families adopt your baby.

Does Texas Have Anti-Discrimination Laws for LGBTQ+ Couples?

Unfortunately, Texas currently doesn’t have any laws that protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination. In spite of that, Adoption Choices of Texas will always support LGBTQ+ adoptive parents and parents looking to put their baby up for adoption. Perhaps, in the future, laws will become kinder towards LGBTQ+ people in this state. Most Texans support both same-sex marriage and anti-discrimination for LGBTQ+ people. Furthermore, there is also the possibility of further anti-discrimination laws on a federal level. But for now, you can at least trust your adoption caseworker to help you whether the laws change or not.

Place Baby up for Adoption for LGBTQ+ Couples

We hope to help all LGBTQ+ people with their adoption needs. If you have never considered having an LGBTQ+ couple adopt your baby, keep that option in mind. Many gay and lesbian couples are thrilled to get a chance to raise a child. All of our adoptive families have also passed the extensive government standards for adoptive families. In the end, LGBTQ+ couples love just as much as straight couples. If you have more questions or would like to know more about LGBTQ+ adoption, head over to our Adoption Choices of Texas website!

As an expectant woman or birth parent, to learn more about adoption, contact Adoption Choices of Texas. You can call us at 888-307-3340, text us at 888-307-3340, or email us here. If you are hoping to adopt, please visit us here. We look forward to helping you through your adoption journey!

Meet the author: Joshua Boulet is an aspiring journalist and writer with a particular fondness for research and social sciences. He loves music, writing, reading, video games, and most art, and anything creative he can get his hands on. Boulet believes that there’s too much good stuff out there and not enough time to see it all. He grew up on video games: the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games, Mario Kart, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and Legend of Zelda. The music of rhythm games led him to an interest in that, and the investigative journalism of Jason Schreier inspired him to discover the importance of journalism as an industry. That interest in developers’ lives led him to an interest in social justice and how the world could maybe be made into a better place. “All this to say, there is certainly a line I can draw between me obsessively playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and me interviewing my sociology professor about how to read academic articles. Those surprising through lines fascinate me all the same. At my best, I’m a person who gets to be constantly fascinated by the lives and work of other people.”

His favorite quote is from his favorite jazz musician:
“A genius is the one most like himself” – Thelonious Monk.