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LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), same-sex, or gay (for short) adoption is the adoption of children by LGBT parents, either individually, or as a couple. LGBT adoption is a complex legal issue, involving several considerations. 14 states in the world have laws on the books specifically giving gay couples the right to adopt. Several other states have jurisdictions where same-sex couples are legally allowed to adopt, while not having a national law on the issue. For example, several States in the US allow gay couples to adopt, a few specifically prohibit it, and the rest have no specific right or prohibition against it. But there is no federal (nation-wide) law settling the issue for all States. A few other countries, like Finland and Iceland, allow one partner in a same-sex union to adopt the other's biological child. This is especially relevant for lesbian couples where one partner gives birth to the child, gay male couples who use a surrogate with the sperm of one of the partners, and individuals wo enter a gay relationship after having or adopting children in a hetereosexual relationship (essentially same-sex step-parent rights). In other countries, gay people may petition individually to adopt, while gay couples cannot. The majority of countries in the world, though, have laws specifically prohibiting adoption by gay couples. In others, like the majority of African states, being gay is in itself illegal, so the point of adoption is moot. Many gay and lesbian couples emigrate from countries where it may be unsafe for same-sex couples to raise a family to those which allow for gay marraige and adoption.
would it affect gender roles?
In what way?
Quote: would it change what a "traditional family" is?
Only in the sense that it would broaden it to include parents who are not heterosexual.
