Do Anti-Discrimination Statutes Apply to Private Adoption Agencies?

The Virginia Board of Social Services voted 7-2 on Wednesday, April 20, to scrap a proposal that would have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in licensing decisions made by the state's adoption and foster care agencies.

[TomInElPaso]

Virginia state bumper sticker: Viginia is for Bigots.

[McMike]

You've just got to love America sometimes.

Where, oh where is 12/21/12 already?

[Umninimuzi]

No agency operates in a "somewhat gray legal area" as long as they are tax-exempt. The principle is very obvious--as long as tax payers (many of whom are LGBT) are forced to pay for these agencies to remain in business, they should not be allowed to discriminate against loving families of any description. If they insist that their religion condemns homosexuality yet want to operate as adoption agencies, they should be truly 'private' and not receive any endorsement from a secular government which (theoretically) does not endorse any particular religion, especially ones which eschew accurate science.

[Krystal Mountaine1]

WTGYR wrote:

Instead of homosexuals being all up in arms at not being able to procure children from religiously-affiliated agencies, why don't homosexuals just start their own tax-exempt adoption agencies? Just think, you could all swap kids around among yourselves after you get bored with them.

Does it hurt being as ignorant as you... just curious

[Pattysboi]

To wtgyr:

You've been reported for your anti-gay rants. Please either stop or take your stuff elsewhere.

[hi hi]

*shrug* Start a lawsuit. As I've seen the point made elsewhere, the legislatures of many, many states are *NOT* your friends. Many of the courts are *NOT* your friends.

But absent action in either, you get exactly nowhere.

So you have nothing to *lose* by starting a lawsuit IF YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR RIGHT to do what is being denied you. If you simply think "Oh it won't succeed and will be a waste," why complain at all? Why bother saying a word?

Action changes things. This is arguable grounds for a lawsuit. Those arguing against that (and many pro-gay people, shockingly, argue against such things) are the most puzzling of all: By their logic, literally nothing can be done about this, so why not move on and focus your energies elsewhere?