“They saw past a single gay man and thought that I was worthy of parenting them,” said Marshall, 42, as he approached the adoption process of the beautiful boy who is now his son, Josiah Marshall. Single, gay, Black men started stepping forward to bring children into their lives through adoption.
However, following a Supreme Court ruling in June 2017, same-sex couples became legal in all 50 states. Open adoptions were unheard of and Same-sex adoptions were illegal. Typically, adoption placements happened between same-race heterosexual couples adopting children of the same race.
As a single black gay man – Marshall may still have problems adopting in some states.Īdoption in years past happened within the strict confines of racial, ethnic, and religious communities. Maryland opera singer David Marshall wouldn’t have been considered a candidate for adoption as a single Black parent a generation ago.
