Fight Back! for LGBT foster parents in Texas

(Cross-posted from BooMan Tribune.)

This morning's Austin American Statesman has an article that introduces us to a family that would be destroyed by Rep. Robert Talton's, [R (of course)-Pasadena] hateful amendment to the Child Protective Services bill (brought to the attention of Kossacks by tom 47 yesterday).

Gay foster parents decry proposed ban

Eva Thibaudeau, back from left, Christina Rodriguez and Rep. Garnet Coleman expressed their opposition Wednesday to a proposed ban on gays in foster care. Thibaudeau and Rodriguez brought their children with them, front from left, Isaiah, 10; Quincy, 2; Saleem, 9, and Maya, 2.

Rep. Coleman, of course, is a Democrat.

(More below)

A lesbian couple who have been foster parents to almost 80 children said Wednesday that a proposed ban on gay foster parents would unnecessarily end care for thousands of well-looked-after foster children in Texas.

"There is such deeply entrenched homophobia and hatred, and that's what this is about," said Eva Thibaudeau of Houston who, with her partner, Christina Rodriguez, has been providing foster care for eight years. "It's not about the best interest of children."

Of course it's not about the best interest of children. It's about pandering to the Republican "base."

The Statesman editorial board weighs in as well:

Narrow-minded amendment

It's difficult to gauge what's more outrageous in the House's amendment barring gays, lesbians and bisexuals from being foster parents: the appalling ignorance behind the amendment, or the potential harm to children in foster care.

There is no objective reason to prohibit gays from being foster parents, and none was offered in the Legislature. There are no studies suggesting that homosexuals are any worse than heterosexuals at caring for children; it's just a bias, plain and simple. . . .

It is shocking that 81 House members supported Talton's ridiculous amendment. It would be a show of integrity to have that amendment stripped from an already difficult bill when it goes to conference.

OK, Texan Kossacks, start making those calls and writing those letters. The Democrats in the lege are standing up and speaking out. The Statesman has put faces on the real parents and real children who would be hurt by this. Most Texans, no matter where they are on the political spectrum, know that this amendment is wrong, plain and simple. As Kerry said when he was in Austin last week - hold your representatives accountable. Let them know there will be a political cost when they vote for legislation that hurts the people they work for.

The bill has to go to conference now, so contact both your state senator and representative. Find out who they are and their contact info here.

(Free registration required for AAS links.)

•  We can win this one

  Even some of the the R's in the lege are getting a little queasy about this one, wondering how we'll find enough foster parents if LGBT parents are excluded. Also about the cost of fighting the inevitable constitutional challenge.

  Wingnuts like Talton will get this enacted only if they can do it in the dark. Let that disinfecting sunshine radiate.

  by Janet Strange on Thu Apr 21, 2005 at 03:53:50 PM PDT

  •  Cost to CPS

    Over five years the cost of this measure would exceed 40 million dollars and there simply is no money.  Expect the Senate to kill it in conference.  Call the Lt. Governor and demand conferees who will do so.

    CPS would be mandated to investigate a foster parent's sexuality.  Further, if any employee of a group home were gay or bi-sexual, every kid in the home would have to be moved.

    Even Governor Perry has called this a "distraction" from the purpose of the CPS bill.

    Talbot was afraid foster kids would learn gay behavior from gay foster parents.  Well, HATE is a learned behavior, and Talbot was spewing it big time Tuesday at the deabte on his amendment.

    "To hate all the people your relatives hate,
    You've got to be carefully taught"

    by Othniel on Thu Apr 21, 2005 at 05:21:44 PM PDT

•  forget about the grownups

  fight back for the needy kids being taken away from the foster families that love them.

  by Elizabeth D on Thu Apr 21, 2005 at 03:54:56 PM PDT

•  In my fantasy world

  children have people who love them to take care of them.  In my fantasy world, grownups were trusted to know that children are smart.  They see that love isn't restricted by sex, therefore they're not afraid of the "different".

  In my fantasy world, homophobics actually admitted that the real reason they don't want children raised by loving GLBT parents is that the children won't grow up to be homophobes.  That would spoil the agenda, don't you see?  

  Too bad I can't spend enough time in my fantasy world.

  by Heiuan on Thu Apr 21, 2005 at 03:57:45 PM PDT

•  This stuff

  and similar fights against gay adoption

  is INSANE

  people need to make a direct connection - we're talking about kids in group homes, kids in temporary settings - and in the case of adoption - kids on STATE rolls instead of in loving families.

  It's absolutely insane - but with these issues - we can hit the right wingers with tax issues - who's going to pay for kids who aren't adopted.  How much more will it cost to build and staff group homes?   How many kids are waiting for placement.

  It's absolutely insane.

  by its simple IF you ignore the complexity on Thu Apr 21, 2005 at 04:02:35 PM PDT

•  I heart Garnet Coleman

  Also, Sheila Jackson Lee.  People who think Texas sucks across the board, take notice.  We've also got Richard Morrison and Chris Bell.  

  Anyway, the CPS system in Texas is already fucked up beyond belief.  Has been for many years.  I used to work with them.  What the hell they're going to do with this I don't know, given that they're strained enough that they actually lose kids sometimes, and don't have the resources to even investigate most reports of child abuse, much less intervene.  Oops, sorry, I'm ranting.

  This action is, to me, even more reprehensible than the Schiavo whoring that the repugs did; she couldn't know that she was being harmed to further political careers.  She didn't know her family was being cynically exploited for a few extra votes from extremist strangers.  She didn't have any life left to waste, really, unlike children in the CPS system.  But this?  This is true evil.

  They're vampires.  "Pro-life" vampires, of course.  No black cloak or Romanian accent, but they gladly suck the life out of children just the same in order to preserve their own political existence.  Damn them, and I mean that quite fucking literally.  

  by rocketito on Thu Apr 21, 2005 at 05:53:11 PM PDT

•  Is there a list of how the vote went anywhere?

  I'm fairly certain my rep (Terri Hodge-D, Dallas) wouldn't have supported the amendment, but I'd like to be sure.

  by DFWDem on Thu Apr 21, 2005 at 06:56:57 PM PDT

  •  Yep, one of the good guys

    She voted "nay." Here's the list of votes.

    by Janet Strange on Thu Apr 21, 2005 at 08:12:56 PM PDT

    •  Thanks!

      Yay for Terri!

      by DFWDem on Fri Apr 22, 2005 at 01:39:58 PM PDT