Ever Considered An Open Mind, Rick Santorum?

Date: January 10, 2012
Author: Kergan Edwards-Stout
Topic: An Open Letter to Rick Santorum from a gay father. 
 Source: Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kergan-edwardsstout/rick-santorum-gay-parents_b_1197033.html

        In "An Open Letter to Rick Santorum," Kergan Edwards-Stout, a gay man who is successfully raising a family with his male partner, he counters everything Santorum has been un-thoughtfully spewing about raising children in non-traditional families. Edwards-Stout writes, "You were recently quoted as saying that a jailed parent would be better for a child than being raised by a same-sex couple. You noted that if a same-sex couple were to raise a child, they would be 'robbing children of something they need, they deserve, they have a right to.'"Edwards-Stout goes on to discuss how his two children, both adopted, are presumably living much healthier, safer lives with their adopted parents. His older son was taken to a crack house at the mere age of 6 months old and was unable to walk for the first several years of his life because his parents had neglected to do anything about his club feet. Today, because Edwards-Stout was able to adopt the child out of foster care, the boy is an avid dancer and runner. Chances are, if the Edwards-Stout family hadn't come along, that poor kid would still be in foster care. Their other child was given to them at birth, because his birth mother realized that she was not, at that time in her life, wholly capable of raising her child.
         Besides giving a personal narrative his own experience, Edwards-Stout also points out that before Santorum tries to say that gay parents are not adequate parents, the approximately 100,000 children in foster care need to be adopted. Only then, says Edwards-Stout, can Santorum even think about conducting some sort of study to understand the merits of being raised by straight versus gay parents. With that, I wholeheartedly agree. I would much rather my children be raised by parents, straight or gay, than be in our flawed foster care system. I have grown up around so many gay and lesbian parents (from my neighborhood, synagogue etc.) that I have no doubt that they are more than capable of raising productive, successful, accepting, and loving citizens, qualities that Mr. Santorum clearly lacks. I will drop to my knees and cry if this man somehow gets elected president. Might as well wave goodbye to my rights.