The Importance of Family, at Any Age

Starr Waisenen and Connie Bergen have raised their daughter Melissa together for the past 24 years. But until a recent Maine Law Court decision (see story below) allowing same-sex couples to jointly adopt, Starr and Melissa had no legal relationship. In this story from Maine Public Broadcasting Network, the family describes what Starr’s adoption of Melissa, now 26, has meant to them.

New Publication on Joint Adoption Practice and Procedure

In light of the recent Law Court decision (see story below) establishing that unmarried couples are able to jointly adopt in Maine, GLAD has prepared a new publication to assist couples who are interested in pursuing this course. You can download the publication here.

August 30, 2007 -- At last, Ann Courtney and Marilyn Kirby of Portland will be able to form a permanent, legal parental relationship with their foster children, 10-year-old "M" and her brother, six-year-old "R". In a unanimous decision, Maine's Law Court issued a ruling that paves the way for the siblings to be jointly adopted by the women who have raised them for the past six years.

The children were removed from their original home in 2001, when their biological parents were no longer able to care for them. They were placed with Ann, an attorney, and Marilyn, a counselor, who quickly re-organized their lives to address the children’s multiple emotional, learning, and developmental difficulties. The children have flourished under Ann and Marilyn’s care.

"We're ecstatic," said Ann about the Law Court’s ruling, which stated clearly that unmarried couples are able to adopt under Maine law. "We love these kids, and their well-being means everything to us. Our daughter and son can now know that we are a family, and we’ll always be a family."


Fact Sheet about the Case and the Family's Story
Read the Law Court's Decision
Read GLAD's Full Press Release
AP story appearing in The Boston Globe
Portland Press Herald story
Maine Public Broadcasting story
Maine Joint Adoption Practice and Procedure

June 8, 2007 -- Maine's legislature passed a bill extending the protections of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to same-sex couples and their families. Working with Equality Maine, the Maine Civil Liberties Union, and the Maine Women's Lobby, GLAD helped organize testimony, planned media strategy, and talked to lawmakers about this important legislation. The bill, which Governor Baldacci signed into law on June 8, enables lesbian and gay employees to take time off work to care for a sick partner or partner's child.


Read the full story here.
Read Mary Bonauto's testimony here
Read the Kennebec Journal Article
See the protections denied same-sex couples

April 2 , 2007 -- GLAD Civil Rights Project Director Mary Bonauto today presented testimony in favor of proposed regulations for implementing Maine's ant-discrimination law. The law, ratified by voters in 2005, provides protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression in employment, housing, public accommodations, credit and education. The regulations are significant in providing a working definition of gender identity and gender expression.


Read Mary Bonauto's testimony.

February 14, 2007 -- Six couples from Maine tell the stories of their lives and relationships, and why they want to marry in their home state in the new video, "The Way Life Should Be: Marriage in Maine." They discuss everything from parenting to aging, and how their exclusion from marriage affects their lives legally, emotionally, and socially.


Watch the video
Read our press release