2.  Gay adoption refers to the adoption of children by a same-sex couple. Gay adoption is legal in Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, England and Wales and Belgium. Iceland, Norway, Germany and Denmark allow "stepchild-adoption" so that the partner in a civil union can adopt the natural (or sometimes even adopted) child of his partner. In the Republic of Ireland and some other countries, individual persons, whether heterosexual/homosexual, cohabiting/single may apply for adoption.  www.ilga.org

3. Goldberg, A., & Smith, J. (2009) suggest that regardless of gender or sexual orientation, all new parents en-route to parenthood (whether biological or adoptive), experience similar increases in perceived skill after the transition to parenthood, though lesbians appear to show the least increase and gay men the most http://abc.go.com/watch/clip/modern- family/SH011581240000/PL5520993/VD5 5163561/cam-and-mitchell-apologize- for-lily/memorybook

4.  Adoption Open created this Gay and Lesbian Adoptive Parents resource page because in the adoption world, Gays and Lesbians have their own set of obstacles and challenges to overcome in order to successfully adopt.

5.  Friends in Adoption (FIA) is a non- profit, non-traditional, licensed agency whose goal is to help people make informed decisions concerning adoption. FIA works with both those interested in adopting and with pregnant women/couples considering placing their children with adoptive families.

6.  Founded in 1978, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is New England’s leading legal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status and gender identity and expression. LGBT page.

7. Greenwood & Fink (G & F) is a law firm with a significant adoption practice. We work with both same-sex and heterosexual couples. Families may be having their own birth child with the assistance of a known or unknown sperm donor, contracting with a surrogate and/or egg donor or undergoing a second parent or stepparent adoption. Families who adopt in Rhode Island receive a decree from the Rhode Island Family Court listing both partners as parents. For same sex couples who either give birth or whose surrogate gives birth in Rhode Island, the State of Rhode Island will issue a birth certificate that lists "parents" rather than "mother and father."

8. http://video.google.com/video play?docid=- 1266541720730775952#

9.  http://web.me.com/josdewittevanleeuwe n/fgf/About_the_book.html http://web.me.com/josdewittevanleeuwe n/fgf/About_the_book.html

10.  Created by;  Guillermo Torres  Mandel School of Applied  Social Sciences  Case Western Reserve University  February 25, 2012  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz3kzh cBm4Q