FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Contact:
Cathy Renna, 917-757-6123, cathy@rennacommunications.com
Syd Peterson, 917-621-6411, syd@rennacommunications.com
 
FAMILY PRIDE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JENNIFER CHRISLER RESPONDS TO CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALIST LEADERS' STATEMENT ON ADOPTION & FOSTER CARE

Washington, D.C., May 3, 2007.  A May 2nd Associated Press story reported that some Christian fundamentalist leaders are calling upon their members to consider adoption and foster care in response to criticism that their movement does not do enough to promote the welfare of children. 

The following response can be attributed to Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director of Family Pride:

"We welcome the efforts of Focus on the Family and other Christian fundamentalists to direct their vast resources toward creating families rather than attacking them.

"For far too long, these types of organizations have spent their energy baselessly and wastefully attacking families headed by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents. We have long maintained that - instead of focusing on our families - they should be combating the real issues faced by children in this country: abuse, neglect, violence, poverty, hunger and lack of access to health care and educational opportunity.

"It is about time they understood that one of the best ways to help children is to focus time and energy on finding permanent loving homes for the half a million children languishing in our foster care system and the more than 100,000 children awaiting adoption.  We can only hope that, as part of their efforts, they will also cease their attempts to block qualified LGBT parents from fostering and adopting children in need.

"We will be watching these organizations to see how they follow through on this professed commitment to the welfare of families and children.  We challenge them to step up and join us in tackling the challenging issues facing all American families, including those headed by LGBT parents."
 
Family Pride is the national non-profit organization committed to securing family equality for all loving families, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer parents, guardians and allies.