On October 22nd, Floridans calling for the reversal of the Florida LGBT adoption ban reversed spoke at the Senate Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs in Tampa. Shelby Isaacson, the adult daughter of lesbian mothers and a member of the COLAGE Speak OUT program, was one of the featured speakers.

You can see Shelby's moving testimony online here:

After participating in the hearing, Shelby shared with COLAGE, "I think everyone struggles with admitting when their parents are right, but when mine kept telling me, 'family is created by love not by blood,' I knew they were on to something. It isn't always easy explaining to others that I have two moms. There are always the weird questions, however this time it just felt right to say how I really feel about my unique family."

Upcoming hearings that offer an opportunity to share what you think about the adoption ban in Florida are coming up! The Florida State Senate has scheduled two public hearings on Foster Care and Adoption. The tentative times and locations are:

Monday, November 5, 2007
6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Pat Thomas Committee Room,
412 Knott Building
Tallahassee

Monday, December 3, 2007
6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus, Building 1
Miami

To learn more about the adoption ban and other LGBT equality issues in Florida, visit http://www.eqfl.org/.

To join the COLAGE Speak OUT member and share YOUR experiences of having one or more LGBTQ parent/s, visit the COLAGE Speak OUT page.