By Thomas Maxheimer
Lawsuit filed against Michigan state after same-sex couple turned away from adopting
The Children’s Services Agency, a state contracted adoption agency in Michigan, is being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union for turning away at least one same-sex couple. The ACLU is also suing Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services. The problem does not seem to be isolated to this one adoption agency, as the couple said they were also turned away by Catholic Charities and Bethany Christian Services.
Seventeen-year-old Ally Steinfeld, of rural Missouri, was brutally stabbed in the genitals, had her eyes gouged out, and was then dragged outside, doused with accelerant and burned. The Texas County Sherriff James Sigman said there was no way the crime was motivated by sexual orientation, and the crime report made no mention of the fact that Steinfeld was transgender. When Newsweek attempted to contact the Sherriff, a woman who answered the phone said the crime “wasn’t done because of him being whatever he was.”
LGBT? LGBTQ? LGBTQIA? Hey Philly, what’s the ideal acronym?
As the GLBT-RT considers a name change, this article offers some background and insight into the complex issue of finding the best way to identify ourselves.