Radical anti-gay and anti-family groups in AR plan to put another proposal before voters to prevent LGBT people from adopting children or serving as foster parents. According to these groups, several preliminary drafts also would extend the ban to unmarried heterosexual couples.The group plans to submit a ballot initiative to Attorney General Dustin McDaniel in the next two or three weeks, according to media reports.

In light of this, Family Pride has released the following statement.

Cathy Renna
917-757-6123
cathy@rennacommunications.comcathy@rennacommunications.com

THE FOLLOWING CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO JENNIFER CHRISLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FAMILY PRIDE:

"In Arkansas and across the country, adoption and foster care decisions should be left in the hands of those most qualified to make them - social workers, adoption experts and judges. The welfare of a child isn't about politics; it's about permanency and a safe, stable and loving home environment. LGBT parents provide stable loving homes to children and 25 years of research has shown that children raised in same-sex households do equally as well as children raised by heterosexual parents.

The radical fundamentalist groups pushing this legislation are either denying or ignoring the reality faced by the Arkansas foster care system - that thousands of children deserve to have the best qualified, most loving parents possible, regardless of the sexual orientation of those fostering or adopting.

It is outrageous that these groups would push their radical agenda by politicizing children living in foster care, who need and deserve loving permanent homes to grow and thrive."