Policy, Practice, and Personal Narratives: Experiences of LGBTQ People with Adoption in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

In 2000, the Ontario Child and Family Services Act was amended to permit same-sex adoption. The goal of our research was to examine whether this legislative change has translated into increased access to adoption for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Forty-three LGBTQ individuals/couples who had either adopted successfully or were approved for adoption since 2000 completed a narrative interview. In this paper, we will draw from participants’ stories of adoption to illustrate the current strengths and limitations of the adoption system in Ontario, Canada, and to offer recommendations for further improvements to facilitate access for LGBTQ people.

KEYWORDS:

• adoption
• sexual orientation
• gender identity
• qualitative research

This research received financial support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Standard Research Grant Number 410-2005-0593. Dr. Lori Ross's salary is supported by a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Ontario Women's Health Council (Award NOW-84656). In addition, support to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health for the salaries of scientists and for infrastructure has been provided by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The authors wish to thank the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies for their support of this project, and the families who participated for sharing their stories with us.