Replies

George A. Rekers, Ph.D., Professor, University of South Carolina

There are at least three reasons that the Arkansas regulation prohibiting homosexuallybehaving
adults from being licensed as foster parents has a rational basis:

I. The inherent nature and structure of households with a homosexually-behaving
adult uniquely endangers foster children by exposing them to a substantial level of harmful
stresses that are over and above usual stress levels in heterosexual foster homes. Because of
the high incidence of psychological disorder in children entering foster care, foster children are
especially vulnerable to psychological harm and increased maladjustment when exposed to
significantly greater stress imposed on them by the presence of a homosexually-behaving adult in
the foster home.

• In a household with a homosexually-behaving adult, the foster child would be exposed to
additional stress with the impact of the significantly higher rates of psychological disorder
(particularly affective disorders such as depression), suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, suicide
completion, conduct disorder, and substance abuse in homosexually-behaving adults. Thus, a foster
placement in a household with a homosexually-behaving adult would risk exposing foster children
to a substantially higher level of harm because research indicates that parental affective disorder
results in higher rates of child depression, child maltreatment and neglect, as mediated by
interpersonal stress processes.

• Further, research indicates that homosexual behavior is widely disapproved by the majority of
the U.S. population. Aware of the social stigma of living with homosexually-behaving adults,
school-aged children generally suffer stress associated with their shame, embarrassment, fears that
others will discover their family member’s homosexuality, fears of peer rejection, actual disruption
of valued friendships, suffering name-calling or ostracism, and/or seeing their family member
disapproved.

The passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 Public Law 105-89 mandates a primary
emphasis on the safety of children in the foster care system. It is in the best interests of foster
children to be placed in foster homes where the adult or adults are exclusively heterosexual because
such homes are safe from the kinds of unique stresses and relatively more harmful level of adult
psychological disorder inherent to households with a homosexual adult.

II. Homosexual partner relationships are significantly and substantially less stable and
more short-lived on the average compared to a marriage of a man and a woman, thereby
inevitably contributing to a substantially higher rate of household transitions in foster homes
with a homosexually-behaving adult. Homosexually-behaving adults inherently suffer
significantly and substantially higher rates of partner relationship breakups, psychological disorder,
suicidal ideation, suicidal attempt, completed suicide, conduct disorder, and substance abuse;
therefore, as a group, households with a resident homosexually-behaving adult are substantially less
capable of providing the best psychologically stable and secure home environments needed by
foster children. This greater instability would inevitably necessitate more frequent foster child
removal for transition to an alternate foster placement. Further, this relationship instability in
households with a homosexually-behaving male also would contribute to a potentially higher risk of
removal due to the sexual abuse of an adolescent male foster child by that homosexual. Foster
children have already suffered one or more traumatic transitions, and more frequent transitions
result in greater psychological harm and psychosocial maladjustment. The Adoption Assistance and
Child Welfare Act of 1980 Public Law 92-272 shifted the focus of the foster care system to
minimizing child removal rates, and Public Law 105-89 requires practices to enhance safety of the
foster child. It is in the best interests of foster children to be placed in foster homes that include
only married or single heterosexual adults because they are substantially more stable and safe,
eliminating the unique risk of higher rates of child removal inherent to households with a
homosexual adult.

III. The inherent structure of foster-parent households with one or more
homosexually-behaving members deprives foster children of vitally needed positive
contributions to child adjustment that are only present in licensed heterosexual foster homes.
Homosexual foster-parent households lack a daily resident model of either a mother or a father, lack
the unique contributions of either a mother or a father to childrearing, and lack a model of a
husband/wife relationship which is significantly healthier, substantially more stable socially and
psychologically, and is more widely approved compared to homosexual lifestyles. The best child
adjustment results from living with a married man and woman compared to other family structures.
It is clearly in the best interests of foster children to be placed with exclusively heterosexual
married-couple foster families because this natural family structure inherently provides unique
needed benefits and produces better