Attorney General Bob Cooper was askd by controversial Wilson County Circuit Judge Clara Byrd for an opinion on the legality of adoption by same-sex couples in Tennessee. Cooper determined that there are no prohibitions against same-sex couples adopting children. Couples are not required to be married.
Apparently, the reason for scary Judge Byrd's request is a mystery.
But there is no mystery about former State Rep. Chris Clem's interest in the subject:
Former state Rep. Chris Clem, R-Lookout Mountain, sponsored a bill in 2005 seeking a ban on gay adoptions. It later was watered down to give preference to heterosexual, married couples over singles, but it was voted down in committee.
Clem sits on the board of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, a political activist group that “is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the family as the union of one man and one woman and their children.” Clem said he proposed the bill because he wanted to give judges more guidance when placing children. “I don’t think the AG’s opinion clears it up at all,” said Clem, an attorney working in Chattanooga. “I think it would be better for the law to give a little more direction than that.”
Chris Sanders, president of the Tennessee Equality Project, which advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, said there may be another push in the General Assembly to get adoption laws changed to prohibit gay couples. [via Mello at KnoxViews]
Tennessee Equality Project
Family Action Council of Tennessee -- a Focus on the Family project.
David Fowler Chris Clem Adoption Gay Homophobia Gay Marriage Family Action Council Tennessee Focus on the Family Judge Clara Byrd
