Subject: PFLAG News Release: AR PFLAG Dad in Lawsuit Against Ban on Gay/Lesbian Foster Parents
From: PFLAG <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 1999 16:51:21 -0400

* * *	 PFLAG News Release	 * * *

For Immediate Release
April 6, 1999		  			

Arkansas PFLAG Father is Plaintiff in Lawsuit Against Ban on Gay/Lesbian 
Foster Parents

A father of a gay son is a plaintiff in a new lawsuit filed today in Little 
Rock, AR, challenging a state policy that bans heterosexuals who live with 
gays and lesbians, as well as gays and lesbians themselves, from being 
foster parents.
	Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG ) member Bill 
Wagner, would have to eject his 18-year-old son from their Fayetteville, 
AR, home if he or his wife wants to serve as a foster parent, according to 
the April 6 lawsuit.
	It was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Wagner and 
five others against the state's Child Welfare Agency Review Board and its 
Dept. of Human Services.  A full statement by Wagner, made at an April 6 
news conference in Little Rock, is also available.
	"As a father, I believe that every child has a right to a loving, suppo  
rtive family," Wagner said. "This ban would deny that right to the children 
of Arkansas.  And that is a tragedy.  Many children in this state will 
suffer."
	"Don't jeopardize the well-being of thousands of children in our state by 
denying them the opportunity to be cared for by responsible, loving parents 
who make wonderful mothers and fathers," said Wagner.  He and his wife of 
26 years have provided emergency shelter to gay teens, and hope to serve as 
foster parents in the near future.
	The Arkansas ban puts a "significant burden" on Wagner's relationship with 
his son, the lawsuit charges.  Because the ban forces Wagner to choose 
between his gay son and prospective foster children in need of a home, it 
"would substantially interfere with the parent-child relationship between 
Wagner and his son," according to the complaint.
	PFLAG Executive Director Kirsten Kingdon stressed that adoptive and foster 
parents "should be selected on their proven ability to be good parents -- 
not on the basis of sexual orientation."
	"The privilege to adopt or become a foster parent should be determined 
based on the best interests of the child by parents and professionals, on a 
case-by-case basis," Kingdon said.
	"We don't need politicians nor their appointees to tell us what makes a 
good family," she said.
	PFLAG is a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization which includes 
more than 75,000 households of parents, grandparents, siblings, extended 
family members and friends of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered 
people.
	There are three PFLAG affiliates in Arkansas alone, among more than 425 
nationwide. An additional four PFLAG affiliates are now in the process of 
being established in Arkansas.
	Members of PFLAG testified before the state welfare board on the issue 
several times since the policy was first introduced in June 1998.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) promotes the 
health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, 
their families and friends through support, education and advocacy.  PFLAG 
provides an opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation, and acts to 
create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity. 
 Serving more than 75,000 members, PFLAG affiliates are located in 425+ 
communities across the U.S. and abroad.
###

1101 14th Street, NW  Suite 1030  Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 638-4200 / Fax: (202) 638-0243
E-mail: [email-masked]  Web: http://www.pflag.org

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