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V o l l m e 1 9 ♦ N u m b e r IO ♦ M
arch
P ortlan d , O reg on
15, 2002
FREE
Bert
Family ties
Portlanders inspire
Rosie O’Donnell
to come out of the closet
by J im R adosta
s: Kinkiest
-can I go?
\ fB B P I here are two men who have had a
kid for 10 years. They are a couple,
they won Foster Parents of the Year
in Florida, and the child that they
have raised since he was 8 days old is
about to be taken from their family by the state
of Florida.”
W ith that simple statement, talk show host
Rosie O’Donnell kicked off an education cam ­
paign March 11 to overturn Florida’s ban on gay
adoption. She also came out as a lesbian during
a March 14 interview with Diane Sawder,
explaining how the law prevented her from
adopting a foster daughter.
The men who inspired her final step out of
the closet are Portlanders Steve Lofton and
Roger Croteau, one of three families represent­
ed by the American C ivil Liberties Union in a
landmark case that will test the ban’s constitu­
tionality. “There are over 3,000 kids today wait­
ing to be adopted [in Florida, but the state] is
considering taking away this boy from a family
he already has,” O’Donnell told her viewers.
Lofton, whose family also was interviewed by
Sawyer, told Just O ut the end result will be
extremely positive. He thinks the lawsuit,
regardless of its outcome, will promote the
plight of gay adoption to people who otherwise
wouldn’t give the issue any thought.
“It’s long overdue,” he says. “A lot of peo­
ple— this whole Rosie audience in middle Amer­
ica—hasn’t got a clue of what the laws are.”
C o n tin ued on P age 19
inside
Meet Basic Rights Oregon’s
newest champions for justice
Page 15
Gay city councilor
loves life in Eugene
Page 17
Portland Lesbian Choir celebrates 15 years
of song with A M usical Scrapbook
Page 35