Gay parents the same | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

In "Exposing kids to gays" (Forum, May 25), Joe Rakes states that children adopted into homes where the parents are homosexual are "no different than children being raised in a household in which the parents are drug abusers, alcoholics or mentally or physically abusive. It's not normal."

Being adopted into a homosexual couple's home is exactly like being adopted into a heterosexual couple's home. There are two loving parents who desperately want the child.

People who jump through the hoops and expense to adopt a child are committed to their relationship and their children. They just want to love, nurture and be a family.

Being raised in a household where there is alcoholism, drug abuse or mental illness is the exact opposite. In those homes, there is an illness or addiction at work that destroys the sense of love or belonging. It takes years of hard work for a child to overcome that environment.

I hope people like Rakes will open their hearts and get to know gay couples who just want to love and be loved. You will be surprised how normal they are.

Lisa Viehweg

Holladay