Back to the Homepage3-1-98Last night, I watched Dateline on NBC and it had a story about a Texas woman who had her foster child taken from her because she was a lesbian. I was so appalled at the actions taken by the social worker that I wrote an e-mail to Dateline telling them my emotions. Here's the story...
A Texas woman applied to be a foster care provider many years ago and her request was granted. She cared for many children over a period of time with not one blemish on her record. But then, her case was given to a new social worker for no special reason, just to shuffle the case load. This new social worker, Rebecca Bledsoe, looked through "Michelle" (the foster parent)'s record and immediately ordered the removal of the child she was currently caring for. Michelle did not get a chance to say goodbye to the child she hoped to adopt one day. She had to pack his things, give him a hug, and watch him leave her life. She was simply told that after the child had left, she could call Bledsoe, and she did just that!
Apparently, Bledsoe pulled the child out of the home because Michelle was a lesbian. Now, the State of Texas had already approved her application WITH THE KNOWLEDGE that she was a lesbian, so what gave this social worker the right to make that judgement? (That's a questions she has yet to answer.) She has said that she was doing her job. Her job, however, is dictated by the State that said Michelle was a capable foster parent. She had demonstrated nothing but love and good care for the child so why was the child taken away?
Bledsoe, unsatisfied with the court battles that were now going on because of all this, went to the press and they blew this WAY OUT OF PROPORTION! A "Conservative Coalition" of sorts did an in depth search and found the child's uncle. They said that the child should be in his protective care. The uncle was a capable parent because he was already caring for three of his nephews and his twin daughters. The courts decided that the child would go to him. Michelle chose not to fight for the child she loved. Why? you ask. "I didn't want to have to tell him," answered Michelle, "that I wanted you more than the family that loved you, so I kept you." Isn't that what parenting is all about? Loving a child so much that all you care about is their wellbeing? I think Michelle demonstrated that better than some parents do! In the Biblical story of King Soloman, two mothers approached him and said they were both the mother to a baby boy. Soloman saw that was impossible but had to devise a plan to prove who the mother was. He decided to chop the baby in half and give one half to each mother. That way, both parents would have half of the claim. One of the women spoke up and said that the other could keep the child so that it will not have to die. This proved to King Soloman that she was the true mother because she did not want the baby to be harmed. Is this story so different from Michelle's case?
Rebecca Bledsoe is a bigot who is opposed to equal-rights for gays in my opinion. She obviously has a problem with homosexuality, but who knows why? It could be religious, it could be her upbringing...who knows? She is showing the same hatred and intolerance towards gays that was shown against blacks in the 1960's. During the '60's, it was said that blacks were strange and not human. How is that different from the anti-gay attitude of the '90's? Perhaps in 30 years, gays will be accepted as the human beings they are. Why must our screwed up society always hate people because they are different?