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I wouldn't move here if I had children because under Arkansas law, neither one of you would have rights to the children because of Initiated Act 1. Even if you adopted them in Texas, you wouldn't have rights under Arkansas law. If you REALLY want to move here, try to consult with an attorney but I would hate for something to happen to one of you...and the surviving partner not have any rights when it came to the children.
Arkansas is not all that gay friendly, at least in the laws.
I would look somewhere that would give you parental rights, Minnesota and Colorado come first to mind.
While neither of them have marriage equality, they do have some pretty progressive laws when it comes to same-sex couples and their children.
I also agree with posters who recommended Iowa. You can always come visit Arkansas but I wouldn't want to live here full time if I had the choice.
I do not believe your statement concerning the state of Arkansas not recognizing our rights to our children is accurate. If we move into the state already having had adopted the children, there is nothing that the state can do.
After doing some research, it looks like you two are safe.
I've just heard of cases of gay couples adopting children in one state but once they move to another state, things become very complicated.
In any case, I hope you find AR to your liking should you decide to move here.
After doing some research, it looks like you two are safe.
I've just heard of cases of gay couples adopting children in one state but once they move to another state, things become very complicated.
In any case, I hope you find AR to your liking should you decide to move here.
Thanks PurpleLove . I do know that it is very true that same sex couples can run in to problems if one partner was granted only temporary guardianship in another state, since temp guardianship is only valid in the state that it is granted. I experienced this problem presonally when moving from Florida to Texas with my niece, whom I had custody of in Florida, but in Texas I had to go through the whole process again as the Florida order was not recognized in Texas.
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fayetteville is a "welcoming congregation" Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fayetteville, Arkansas (http://www.fayettevilleunitarian.org/about/welcoming.shtml - broken link) and the church in Little Rock is also a "welcoming congregation"..... I don't know you religious affiliation if any.....but my experience has been that the UU churches are usually the centers of the most liberal and accepting people in the area....and a great way to begin to find community. You might want to contact them and ask questions in advance of moving there. Good Luck. (Personally I would move to Vermont or NH or Maine if I were you....but that is up to you.)
All these these posts are the same. Only the details differ.
A brand 'new' member.
Gay/minorities/mixed childern
moving to backward Stereotypeville.
Just wondering, uhh will the store guy look at us funny 'cause were different?
And the questions. Why would you ask total strangers how some teacher
that they don't know will react to children the teacher has never met?
You going to determine the suitability of your new home using this method?
No. Of course not. But it is a good way to start a conversation about stupid
rednecks and the innocent people they spit on.
Put in a little effort at least.
Make it interesting.
Your boring me.
All these these posts are the same. Only the details differ.
A brand 'new' member.
Gay/minorities/mixed childern
moving to backward Stereotypeville.
Just wondering, uhh will the store guy look at us funny 'cause were different?
And the questions. Why would you ask total strangers how some teacher
that they don't know will react to children the teacher has never met?
You going to determine the suitability of your new home using this method?
No. Of course not. But it is a good way to start a conversation about stupid
rednecks and the innocent people they spit on.
Put in a little effort at least.
Make it interesting.
Your boring me.
You're being ridiculous. The point of these forums, from my understanding at least, is to learn a little bit about an area, share info about an area. You assume that we are going to take the advice of strangers and make a move soley with that information? NO, it is simply one step in the process to speak with the people that actually DO live there currently. It makes perfect sense to me, and this forum seems like the perfect place to do the asking. If these topics bore you, if you are sooo tired of hearing about these same topics, then why do you read them and, even more outrageous, comment? Now THAT makes no sense and can only be indicative of an individual with too much time on his or her hands.
All these these posts are the same. Only the details differ.
A brand 'new' member.
Gay/minorities/mixed childern
moving to backward Stereotypeville.
Just wondering, uhh will the store guy look at us funny 'cause were different?
And the questions. Why would you ask total strangers how some teacher
that they don't know will react to children the teacher has never met?
You going to determine the suitability of your new home using this method?
No. Of course not. But it is a good way to start a conversation about stupid
rednecks and the innocent people they spit on.
Put in a little effort at least.
Make it interesting.
Your boring me.
Have you lived in Eurkea Springs, Hot Springs or Fayetteville? If you haven't I don't think you have a good overview of these towns..
I can understand why your thinking of adopting a child from Ethiopia may be viewed in a different way. This seems to be the treandy thing to do right now, which is fine, but what about all the racially mixed and black children here in our own country that do not have families...why not adopt one of them or a child from Mexico or central America?? Why Africa?
Nita
Mod Cut: Personal Attack I spent a few summers in AR and although parts of it were very pretty and some pockets of it were more open-minded than others, I would not feel comfortable with my family being surrounded by small-town narrow-minded people that may not except them. I felt that unless the OP moved to a more progressive area within the state, he may not have the warm welcome he and his children deserve, especially since the kids have already been through so much already.
For you to say our decision to adopt an Ethiopian child is the trendy thing to do is ridiculous and very low class on your part. Maybe our decision to adopt from there is because they have the most orphans in the world or because 1 in 5 children will not live to see their first birthday and 2 out of 5 will not live to age ten. They aren't even in state run orphanages or foster homes like in this country. They live and die on the streets, babies being left in gutters and being picked apart by dogs. Some do manage to make it in to orphanages run by international adoption agencies, but many more die before they have the chance to. The lack of clean water, a horrific number of HIV deaths and years of civil war have all led to the vast number of orphans. I am not part of the cause because it is trendy. What is the difference between adopting an African child and a Central American or Mexican one?? Either way, they are all children who need homes and Ethiopia just happens to be more poverty-stricken and have more orphans (4.8 million at UNICEF's last count in 2005). Instead of looking at us as doing something good for the world, you point out reasons why we should ascribe to your way of thinking.
Is this how people in Arkansas really are to white parents with a black child?? If so, perhaps the OP SHOULD stay away from judgemental people like yourself who do not know the whole situation. And, yes, the foster care system is not the best in this country and there are 500,000 kids in foster care but at least abandoned kids in the U.S. have a place to sleep at night and can go to school for free and drink potable water. That is definately not the same for abandoned children in Ethiopia unless you count the dirt street they lay on as a suitable bed. You have to pay for school in that country, so hardly any children are ever educated. We are adopting from the country whose children have the most need so please do not pick apart our decision with your bitter assumptions.
Kari
*Take all of the kids under 18 in New York, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia and remove their parents. You now have the number of children who are orphans in Ethiopia- 6 MILLION by current estimates.*
Last edited by Stormcrow73; 04-15-2009 at 11:35 AM..
Have you lived in Eurkea Springs, Hot Springs or Fayetteville? If you haven't I don't think you have a good overview of these towns..
I can understand why your thinking of adopting a child from Ethiopia may be viewed in a different way. This seems to be the treandy thing to do right now, which is fine, but what about all the racially mixed and black children here in our own country that do not have families...why not adopt one of them or a child from Mexico or central America?? Why Africa?
Nita
Mod Cut: Personal Attack I spent a few summers in AR and although parts of it were very pretty and some pockets of it were more open-minded than others, I would not feel comfortable with my family being surrounded by small-town narrow-minded people that may not except them. I felt that unless the OP moved to a more progressive area within the state, he may not have the warm welcome he and his children deserve, especially since the kids have already been through so much already.
For you to say our decision to adopt an Ethiopian child is the trendy thing to do is ridiculous and very low class on your part. Maybe our decision to adopt from there is because they have the most orphans in the world or because 1 in 5 children will not live to see their first birthday and 2 out of 5 will not live to age ten. They aren't even in state run orphanages or foster homes like in this country. They live and die on the streets, babies being left in gutters and being picked apart by dogs. Some do manage to make it in to orphanages run by international adoption agencies, but many more die before they have the chance to. The lack of clean water, a horrific number of HIV deaths and years of civil war have all led to the vast number of orphans. I am not part of the cause because it is trendy. What is the difference between adopting an African child and a Central American or Mexican one?? Either way, they are all children who need homes and Ethiopia just happens to be more poverty-stricken and have more orphans (4.8 million at UNICEF's last count in 2005). Instead of looking at us as doing something good for the world, you point out reasons why we should ascribe to your way of thinking.
Is this how people in Arkansas really are to white parents with a black child?? If so, perhaps the OP SHOULD stay away from judgemental people like yourself who do not know the whole situation. And, yes, the foster care system is not the best in this country and there are 500,000 kids in foster care but at least abandoned kids in the U.S. have a place to sleep at night and can go to school for free and drink potable water. That is definately not the same for abandoned children in Ethiopia unless you count the dirt street they lay on as a suitable bed. You have to pay for school in that country, so hardly any children are ever educated. We are adopting from the country whose children have the most need so please do not pick apart our decision with your bitter assumptions.
Kari
*Take all of the kids under 18 in New York, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia and remove their parents. You now have the number of children who are orphans in Ethiopia- 6 MILLION by current estimates.*
Amen! Great post!
It's none of nmnita or anyone else's business why you or anyone else chooses to adopt a particular child.
Last edited by Stormcrow73; 04-15-2009 at 11:36 AM..
Thank you, strumpeace for your kind post. I hope this is the attitude the OP receives wherever he moves with his new, expanded family. It certainly made me feel better!
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