January 19, 2011
Gay Fla. couple who fought adoption ban adopts 2
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A gay Miami man has officially adopted two brothers after he successfully fought to overturn Florida's three-decade old ban on gay adoptions.
Martin Gill and his partner were the boys' foster parents for six years before the adoption was finalized Wednesday.
Gill and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the state, calling the ban unconstitutional. The 3rd District Court of Appeal agreed in a ruling last year. The state decided not to appeal.
Gill says he is thrilled they are "officially a family in the eyes of the law."
The prohibition was enacted in 1977 and court records indicate it's the only law of its kind in the United States.
The Department of Children and Families changed its forms so adoptive parents aren't asked if they're homosexuals.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
