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New law gives gay couples right to adopt

April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 3, 2007 at midnight

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Colorado today becomes the 10th state to allow gay couples to adopt and the 20th to extend civil rights protections to gays and lesbians.

"We've been involved in pushing equal rights legislation for 11 years in row. Today is a new day as we take two great strides toward equality," said Mindy Barton of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado.

Colorado's new adoption law is gaining widespread attention.

Adoption attorney Seth Grob said Thursday he already has received a stream of inquiries from gay couples looking to adopt one another's children. "This bill has psychological benefits by fostering the parent-child relationship with a person in many cases who has cared for their partner's child a long time," he said.

Colorado has permitted adoption by married couples or by single parents, straight or gay. But a second parent could not adopt unless the couple married, which gays can't legally do in Colorado.

Adoption agencies are concerned about the new law's implications.

Carol Lawson of Adoption One said it threatens to eliminate some long-standing safeguards protecting children.

She and others said the new law could cause countries that don't recognize adoptions by same-sex couples to shut off adoptions to Colorado and other states that do.

Grob said the new law does not change historical adoption procedures that require adoptive parents to undergo a background check and a home study.

Republican lawmakers and conservative religious groups condemned the new law, saying it undermines the traditional family structure.

The bill's sponsor, House Majority Leader Alice Madden, said the new adoption law isn't about promoting the gay agenda, but about protecting children being raised in nontraditional families.

A sampling of legislation taking effect today

• HB 1330 allows same-sex couples, as well as grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives, to jointly adopt children.

• SB 25 makes it illegal for employers to hire, fire, promote or compensate workers based on sexual orientation.

• HB 1050 allows public schools to permanently display flags of foreign countries for educational purposes. It removes the offense of "breach of peace" from state law when a flag is displayed in a place where it may cause a disturbance.

• HB 1073 changes current law to allow state contractors to check the legal status of new hires only.

• SB 45 makes it easier to gain access to public documents by lowering the amount state agencies can charge for copying records from $1.25 per page to 25 cents a page.

• HB 1175 seeks to prevent Wal-Mart and other retailers from getting into the banking business in Colorado by placing restrictions on banks that are affiliated with commercial entities, such as retailers.

• HB 1196 allows smoking in designated areas in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

• SB 251 is a union-backed bill that eliminates the requirement that the Regional Transportation District bid out at least 50 percent of its bus service to private contractors.

A digest of new laws is available at .co.us.