Gay US man allowed to adopt Colombian boys

5:55 am | Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

BOGOTA—A US citizen whose two newly adopted children were taken away after Colombian authorities learned he was gay, has been told that he will be allowed to adopt them after all, news reports here said Tuesday.

Colombia’s Institute for Family Welfare, after reviewing the case, ruled that Chandler Burr’s sexual orientation could not be used as grounds to nullify his adoption of the two boys, ages 10 and 13.

“I’m incredibly happy,” Burr, a former journalist with the New York Times, told reporters here late Monday.

Burr added that he hoped to be back in the United States with his sons by New Year’s.

Burr finalized the adoption process for the two boys in March and was preparing to depart with them for the United States the following month when authorities here blocked his departure after he casually mentioned to adoption authorities that he is gay.

Officials launched what they said was a “rigorous” review of the circumstances of the adoption, finally issuing a ruling on Monday.

Legal experts noted a loophole in Colombia’s law, saying that while it forbids gay couples from adopting, it says nothing about single gay men such as Burr.

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Tags: Adoption , Colombia , gays , gender , Social Issues , US

Anonymous

Incredibly happy and gay daw siya? Naku lagot yung mga batang yun.
Anonymous

What a great thing! Wish the Philippines would come out of the dark ages and do something so progressive as this! What is holding us back?
Anonymous

what’s the problem with that , ang mga pari na bakla lng ba ang may karapatan na lumigaya ,???????
Anonymous

The children’s welfare should be the first consideration.

Single people should not be allowed to adopt. If they do not want to start a family of their own, how can we expect them to take care of other children?

Children are not pets.

Anonymous

You are a narrow minded ##7#4! You have been brainwashed!

Anonymous

We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.” — George Orwell

Anonymous

I somehow disagree with you. Raising a good family don’t necessary have a father or a mother. It is the harmony within each member that make it a “real” family. Pano na yung nabalo nang maaga at ayaw nang mag-asawa. O yung mga old maids na talagang wala nang nangligaw? Are you going to deprived them with what you call a “family”?

Anonymous

We should understand and show compassion to people who are merely striving, like ourselves, to find happiness in life. But if our priority is to protect children, which should be the case if we put them out for adoption, there should be limits.
Most single people have relatives they can support and informally adopt.

Anonymous

Families come in all shapes and sizes – In the Philippines it is acceptable to have several families as well as several wives – or to export our people like slaves and leave 1 parent to raise the children – all is OK here as long as you do not use a condom! lol
John Cross

as they say, gay has a heart of a woman. so i’d expect, he would adopt girls as mothers tend to want girls as children kasi may aayusan sila. kaya lang, why boys? anyway, hope they did a thorough background check. i have nothing against him adopting. he may really be a good person. i pray so. i’m just concerned for the children. a loophole in the law is not enough to sacrifice the children’s welfare.

Gay US man allowed to adopt Colombian boys

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