So, the new Republican governor of Florida, Rick Scott, thinks that court rulings don’t apply to him, because of His Beliefs probably, so he’s got a new plan to make sure that kids in foster care stay there as long as possible:
Despite a state appellate panel’s ruling last year striking down the Florida ban on adoption by “homosexual” people and the decision by the then-governor and attorney general — Republican-turned-Independent Charlie Crist and Republican Bill McCullom, respectively — that they would not pursue State Supreme Court review of the decision, the new governor, Republican Rick Scott, is stoking the fire that most had considered extinguished for good.
According to the Associated Press, when Scott appeared before reporters in Tallahassee on January 19 to discussed his newly appointed director of Children and Families, David Wilkins, he said, “Adoption should be by a married couple.”
In response to Scott’s statement, Florida Together, an LGBT equality group, said, “Obviously, this is an end-run around the courts on gay and lesbian-inclusive adoption. It could remove millions of Floridians from the adoption process and leave tens of thousands of children in state foster care who could otherwise be adopted by loving families.”
The article goes on to point out that David Wilkins is the finance chair of Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, which is just like it sounds. How many times does it have to be said: no one cares about your Deeply Held Personal Beliefs, but if you can’t check them at the door when it’s time to go to grown-up work, especially if you are in government, then maybe it’s time to find a new job.
