Growing up, I looked forward to having several children, a number equal to if not greater than the size of the family I came from, a brood of seven. But as I aged, the desire to sire so many children decreased significantly. And while the desire hasn't diminished entirely, I don't foresee myself fathering even one child, much less seven. Of the various reasons that led to this decision, one that hadn't entered my mind was concern about parenting with another man. That scenario could have been as likely as any other. Of course, if such an unlikely prospect were to somehow transpire, I think I would opt to adopt, rather than seek more "natural" means of fathering.

All parenting options available to gay and lesbian couples have their own set of difficulties, and adoption is no less challenging than the others. But for me, it seems the most viable. Of course that's not how a lot of straights might see it. The good news is that despite resistance from the homophobes, nearly every state in our nation allows same sex couples to adopt. Among the last remaining holdouts, though, is the same state where Disney World holds gay days. A few years ago, I watched a documentary (We Are Dad) about a gay couple in Florida that had fostered five children who were HIV positive. But every effort the couple made to legally adopt was thwarted. The message was clear: You queers are good enough to raise children that no one else wants, but you're not good enough to be their legal parents. So, if you plan to visit Orlando for gay days this month, and you plan to bring the kids, you might reconsider on behalf of our less fortunate brethren in that state. Unfortunately, such a gesture would not likely have much an impact on Florida and merely punish those individuals at the heart of the matter: the children.