Anti-Gay Foster Care legislation passes.

[Fleshdancer]

:grr: I just heard about this, I hope it isn't a dupe. Also, this message is what I recieved in my email so pardon my cut and paste job:

The Texas House of Representatives today voted to ban gay, lesbian and bisexual Texans from serving as foster parents. The legislation also authorizes the state to conduct investigations into the sexual orientation of current foster parents. Representative Talton (R-Pasadena) bypassed the committee process by introducing this legislation as an amendment to the larger foster care restructuring bill, Senate Bill 6. The legislation was adopted by a vote of 81-58.

OPPOSE THE BAN ON GAY PARENTING!!!!
The 81 State Representatives who voted for this amendment to SB 6 do not have the best interests of children at heart. More than 43,000 gay and lesbian couples in Texas are forming families and raising children, and this attack on LGBT Texans will tear apart our families and remove our children from loving, stable families. In an already over-burdened foster care system, the effect of reducing the pool of foster parents does nothing to protect Texas children.

Apart from the emotional and social cost of destroying Texas families, this legislation also has an economic cost. The cost of reducing the available pool of foster parents, as well as the cost of conducting investigations into the sexual orientation of potential and current foster parents, will cost the state as much as $8 million a year.

CALL/FAX YOUR REPRESENTATIVE!
We need ALL Texans who care about Texas children to call their State Representative and ask them to remove the ban on gay and lesbian foster parents from the foster care restructuring bill, SB 6. To send a fax to your own state representative, go to our website at www.lgrl.org.

Representatives who voted for the ban on gay foster parents Rep. Charles Anderson [phone]
Rep. Todd Baxter [phone]
Rep. Leo Berman [phone]
Rep. Roy Blake, Jr. [phone]
Rep. Dwayne Bohac [phone]
Rep. Dennis Bonnen [phone]
Rep. Dan Branch [phone]
Rep. Betty Brown [phone]
Rep. Fred Brown [phone]
Rep. Bill Callegari [phone]
Rep. Scott Campbell [phone]
Rep. Warren Chisum [phone]
Rep. Byron Cook [phone]
Rep. Robby Cook [phone]
Rep. Frank Corte, Jr. [phone]
Rep. Joe Crabb [phone]
Rep. Myra Crownover [phone]
Rep. Glenda Dawson [phone]
Rep. Mary Denny [phone]
Rep. Joe Driver [phone]
Rep. Al Edwards [phone]
Rep. Rob Eissler [phone]
Rep. Gary Elkins [phone]
Rep. David Farabee [phone]
Rep. Dan Flynn [phone]
Rep. Stephen Frost [phone]
Rep. Dan Gattis [phone]
Rep. Charlie Geren [phone]
Rep. Toby Goodman [phone]
Rep. Tony Goolsby [phone]
Rep. Bob Griggs [phone]
Rep. Kent Grusendorf [phone]
Rep. Ryan Guillen [phone]
Rep. Pat Haggerty [phone]
Rep. Rick Hardcastle [phone]
Rep. Linda Harper-Brown [phone]
Rep. Harvey Hilderbran [phone]
Rep. Fred Hill [phone]
Rep. Ruben Hope [phone]
Rep. Charlie Howard [phone]
Rep. Bryan Hughes [phone]
Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp [phone]
Rep. Carl Isett [phone]
Rep. Jim Jackson [phone]
Rep. Bill Keffer [phone]
Rep. Jim Keffer [phone]
Rep. Phil King [phone]
Rep. Tracy King [phone]
Rep. Lois Kolkhorst [phone]
Rep. Mike Krusee [phone]
Rep. Edmund Kuempel [phone]
Rep. Jodie Laubenberg [phone]
Rep. Jerry Madden [phone]
Rep. Jim McReynolds [phone]
Rep. Tommy Merritt [phone]
Rep. Sid Miller [phone]
Rep. Geanie Morrison [phone]
Rep. Anna Mowery [phone]
Rep. Joe Nixon [phone]
Rep. Rob Orr [phone]
Rep. John Otto [phone]
Rep. Ken Paxton, Jr. [phone]
Rep. Larry Phillips [phone]
Rep. Chente Quintanilla [phone]
Rep. Richard Raymond [phone]
Rep. Elvira Reyna [phone]
Rep. Patrick Rose [phone]
Rep. Gene Seaman [phone]
Rep. Todd Smith [phone]
Rep. Wayne Smith [phone]
Rep. John Smithee [phone]
Rep. Burt Solomons [phone]
Rep. David Swinford [phone]
Rep. Robert Talton [phone]
Rep. Larry Taylor [phone]
Rep. Vicki Truitt [phone]
Rep. Sylvester Turner [phone]
Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale [phone]
Rep. Buddy West [phone]
Rep. Beverly Woolley [phone]
Rep. Bill Zedler [phone]

[ThumperDumper]

1. WTF are they thinking?

They'd rather see thousands of kids grow up in orphanages than see ONE of them adopted by gay parents.

This ain't about what's good for the kids. :(

[Fleshdancer]

2. this is a lose-lose situation for every human involved.

dogma wins over reality. I'm deeply ashamed right now.

[sonias]

3. Homophobic idiots

These idiots just created a huge problem for themselves.

The children are waiting.
http://www.inthepinktexas.com/index.php?p=181
Radical Legislator Deals Major Blow to Texas Children

AUSTIN, TX- Texas families, particularly children, took a potentially devastating hit today from the Texas House of Representatives. Legislators voted to approve an extremely controversial, expensive, and damaging amendment to SB6, the bill designed to overhaul the child protective services system in our state. The amendment, filed by Rep. Robert Talton (R-Pasadena), bans same-sex couples from serving as foster parents.

Experts say the move will cost the state millions of dollars and seriously limit the pool of eligible foster parents, which is already grossly inadequate to deal with the number of children in the system.

Sonia

[liveoaktx]

4. Call the Sttate Senate Rep-it's out of the House now

So you could call your Rep to complain about his or her vote but tell your SENATOR to take out the amendment.

[Ian David]

5. ACTION ALERT: Texas House votes to ban gay foster parents 81-58

Cross-posted:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=221x10431


LGB FOSTER PARENTS TARGETED BY DISCRIMINATORY AMENDMENT

Family Pride Coalition Action Alert

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

LGB FOSTER PARENTS TARGETED BY DISCRIMINATORY AMENDMENT

Yesterday, the Texas House of Representatives voted to ban gay, lesbian and bisexual Texans from serving as foster parents. The legislation also authorizes the state to conduct investigations into the sexual orientation of current foster parents. Representative Robert Talton (R-Pasadena) by-passed the committee process by introducing this legislation as an amendment to the larger foster care restructuring bill, Senate Bill 6. The legislation was adopted by a vote of 81-58.

Talton filed two anti-gay foster care measures during the 2003 session. Both bills died in committee.

This amendment would tear apart loving and stable families, and further reduces the already too-small pool of qualified foster parents in the state of Texas. In addition to the emotional and social cost of destroying Texas families, this legislation would also cost the state as much as $8 million a year by reducing the number of qualified foster parents and to conduct investigations into the sexual orientation of potential and current foster parents.

TAKE ACTION TODAY!!

We need ALL Texans who care about children to call their State Senator and ask them to remove Talton's amendment, which would ban lesbian, gay and bisexual Texans from serving as foster parents, from SB 6. His amendment would bring untold harm to thousands of Texas children.

Ken Armbrister
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Kip Averitt
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Gonzalo Barrientos
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Kim Brimer
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

John Carona
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Bob Deuell
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Robert Duncan
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Rodney G. Ellis
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Kevin Eltife
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Craig Estes
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Troy Fraser
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Mario Gallegos
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Chris Harris
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Mike Jackson
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Kyle Janek
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Jon Lindsay
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Eddie Lucio, Jr.
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Frank L. Madla
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Jane Nelson
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Steve Ogden
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Kel Seliger
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Florence Shapiro
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Eliot Shapleigh
[phone]

Todd Staples
[phone]

Leticia Van de Putte
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Jeff Wentworth
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Royce West
[phone]

John Whitmire
[phone]

Tommy Williams
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Judith Zaffirini
[phone]


To send a fax to your own State Senator, go to www.lgrl.org.



The Family Pride Coalition is the only national non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to securing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents and their families.

By becoming a member of the Family Pride Coalition you have the opportunity to dramatically affect the lives of LGBT parents and their families. Please join the Family Pride Coalition today by filling out our online membership form by clicking http://www.familypride.org/joinus.htm.

Cross-posted in Texas group.

[derby378]

6. Hey, that's okay...

...there's plenty of physically and/or sexually abusive predatory types - who identify themselves as "straight" - who would just love to be foster parents to some of these poor kids.

God help us all.