A gay couple was granted joint adoption for their foster child yesterday, a decree believed to be only the second in New Jersey.
Jon Holden and Michael Gallucio have cared for two-year-old Adam since he was three months old. He was born to a cocaine addict who was HIV-positive. Gallucio and Holden have been together for 15 years. Gallucio works outside the home and Holden takes care of Adam, who gets drug therapy to prevent him from developing AIDS. They are also foster parents to a baby girl, but cannot adopt her until parental rights end. Thousands of babies in New Jersey born with problems like Adam’s are currently awaiting adoption or foster care.
“This is a pure example of New Jersey recognizing us as families,” said New Jersey Lesbian & Gay Coalition president Gina Reiss. The men have also filed a class-action lawsuit to overturn a law that prohibits adoption by unmarried couples. Michael Adams, an attorney for the ACLU, said the law violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause, especially since homosexual couples cannot legally get married.
