Although gay marriage was legalized in the United States by the Supreme Court on June 26, 2015, members of the lesbian gay bisexual transgender (LGBT) community are continuing to fight for even the most common rights they deserve, including the ability to adopt a child.

Statistics show that there’s five times the amount of LGBT couples willing to adopt than there are children in the foster system. Allowing them to adopt would put virtually every child without a family into a loving and supportive home. This should be the goal of everyone working in adoption agencies and yet thousands of couples are turned away each day by these agencies because they don’t portray the conservative and traditional version of an ideal family – a mother and a father.

The most common reason for an agency to deny a LGBT couple a child is wanting children to have a male and a female influence while growing up, but if that’s the case, what’s going to be done about all the single parents in the world only giving their children one influence? That just proves the lack of both male and female influences isn’t the case. Two of either one is so much better than none at all when it comes down to getting children out of the foster care system.

Studies have also shown that when children are raised in an LGBT home, they are more accepting of others (LGBT) and much less likely to ever bully someone because of their sexuality.

As long as the people trying to adopt are qualified and will give the child given to them a loving home, there is no reason why a child shouldn’t be placed in a LGBT home.

Megan Rosen, Staff Writer

Sophomore Megan Rosen is a staff writer for the 2015-2016 Colonel. She is on the volleyball team.