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LesBiGay Wisconsin's Community Newspaper. Founded in 1984 December 26, 1997 • Vol. XIV, Issue XXVI FREE ‘4"1144 st net • ' • *. • •s . • '.•". • • • : \ V `.:' • ' "..i•-•:.•-zz.., .... ( 1`1\‘ '-z..,...."J`. if"\‘‘ • • I '4 _ . IUMAN RIGHTS • 4t 10 —4 \N *N. 4's. - N. %.: 'tip \\N N \,\ Ir " .1 PAIGN 40'd • fe flow SHOWING: r 04e '. !\ ,k • MIDNIGHT : OU: • :.‘ INF GARDEN a OF THE, 0° AS 0 GETS \amid's( 4- IT • ire 0 es'tiil raCr _ • . /NRENTA14 013oRy Ot kik • k, .1_I , „ • 12/1010 AI „vivogNiae.' A34K44::* 4e• , OT DANCE rAKTY! to ??? 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Cigar Barana 1900 miles North of Montego Bay @ 422 South Second Street, historic Walker's Point) • 212-4222 sz 271-9339. Some dates are open for holiday & office parties, call Gina for details. Gift Certificates now available. IN STEP news New Jersey Extends Equal Adoption Status differences in social skills and behavior problems between children raised by lesbians and kids raised by heterosexu- als. In a' second study, Patterson examined 80 families that had children through artificial insemination. Fifty- five families were headed by lesbian couples or single les- r44/ bians; 25 families were headed by heterosexual couples or • single heterosexual moms. "From the data on children's social competence and behavior problems, it was impossible to distinguish which children were born to and brought up by lesbian parents and which by heterosexual parents," Patterson said. Other studies have also found that children raised by gays and lesbians are no more likely to become homosexuals than children raised by heterosexual parents. Galluccio said the strict standards required in New Jersey — and probably in most other states — to adopt children were tough enough to assure that adoptive parents would be at least as good as any married couple who had children of their own. "We had to go through the same rigorous approval process that a married couple would have to go through," he said. "The state didn't indiscriminately say because we wanted a baby that we could just have one. We went through months of training and investigations and fin- gerprinting, and I do think that we are good parents. But I don't think we're unique, as gay men who happen to be good parents • good parents. I think that gay men can be and so can lesbian women." • hope to adopt a baby 4 4 Ultimately, Galluccio and Holden I girl to complete their family — and the couple leave no doubt that the two men and their son Adam are a family. "This is what it's about," Galluccio says. "This is a 4 family — an American Family. I know that there's people Michael Galluccio,Jon Holden and their two year old adopted son Adam. that aren't going to see it that way, and change is never easy, but we're a family." by Keith Clark be for him to go with Jon, but Jon would have no legal of the In Step Staff rights to Adam, or Adam any legal rights from Jon. So just for his protection, and the stability of his life — that Newark, NJ — In a legal case that's being hailed as a was the main reason behind everything." Ruling Upheld in landmark decision for gay and lesbian Americans, New Prevented legally from jointly adopting, the couple Jersey became the first state in the nation to allow homo- sued the state, charging that, by having more difficult sexual couples to jointly adopt children on the same basis adoption rules for unmarried couples — gay or straight Hawaii Marriage Case as married couples. Before, gays and lesbians in New — the state was violating their rights to equal protection under state and federal law. A New Jersey Superior Court Honolulu, HI — The Hawai'i Supreme Court last judge agreed, and in October ruled in the couple's favor. week upheld a lower court ruling thatprevented eight "It is the quality of parent- The new policy was issued in mid-December — less than state lawmakers from intervening in the case that led to a week before the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays - by adecision allowing gay couples the right to marry. ing, rather than the sexual state officials as a result of the court ruling. A ruling in the lawmaker's favor might have jeopar- parents, that Gay rights advocates said the new policy puts all dized Circuit JudgeKevin Chang's Dec. 3, 1996, decision orientation of unmarried couples in New Jersey on an equal footing that said the state could not deny marriage licenses to is important for children's with married couples for the first time in adoption cases, three gay couples who were seeking to marry. and they predict it will vastly streamline the process for gays Chang had refused to allow state Reps. Felipe Abinsay development." and lesbians trying to adopt children — and will be an Jr., MichaelKahikina, Ezra Kanoho, Colleen Meyer, important case in legal battles in other states, even though David Stegmaier, William Swain, RomyCachola and the lawsuit has no precedence outside of New Jersey. Gene Ward to intervene in the case to argue against same- Jersey — and in some other states — were allowed to No one knows how many gay and lesbians couples in sex marriage. The eight appealed the decision. adopt children, but each partner had to seek separate America are already adoptive parents, of course. But the The Supreme Court without comment yesterday adoption status, causing long and expensive delays for American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the case affirmed Chang's decision not to allow the lawmakers to most couples. for the two men in New Jersey, believes between 8 million intervene. The New Jersey decision resulted from a class-action and 13 million children in the U.S. are currently being Chang's ruling in favor of the three gay couples is lawsuit against the state brought by a gay couple — reared in gay or lesbian households. Most of these kids, of under appeal to the Supreme Court, which ruled in 1993 Michael Galluccio and Jon Holden — who have cared for course, are the biological children of one of the gay or les- that denying marriage licenses to gays and lesbians a two -year-old foster child named Adam since he was bian parents, but the ACLU and gay rights organizations amounts to unconstitutional gender discrimination. three months old. say a not-insignificant number of the youngsters are also The Supreme Court in 1993 sent the case back to The couple wanted to adopt him even though foster or adoptive children in gay households. Circuit Court for a new trial, with the burden on the state Galluccio says that when they began caring for Adam the Anti-gay conservative groups attacked the new policy, to show a compelling interest to deny marriage licenses to boy had many physical problems from birth. and Steve Schwam of the Family Research Council, a far- gays and lesbians. "He was real sick when we brought him home," right anti-gay lobbying organization in Washington, Chang's December 1996 ruling said the state was Galluccio said. "He was born to an HIV, drug-addicted D.C., said the policy "knocks marriage out of its special unable to show such an interest. However, he ruled that mother. So he was born addicted to drugs, he had lung status as the proper place for rearing children, which all marriage licenses cannot be issued to same-sex couples damage, cardiac arythmia, an enlarged liver, and he was the social study data shows is the most healthy environ- while the case is on appeal. testing positive for HIV at the time. So he was not in The high court is not expected to rule on that appeal good ment for a child to be raised." shape." But in fact there are until next year.

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