Washington, D.C. – On May 12th, 2010, the Center for American Progress’s Faith & Progressive Policy Initiative released a new report, "Faith and Family Equality". The report examines the 2008 ballot initiative in Arkansas that aimed to ban same-sex adoption. It analyzes the efforts of religious groups on both sides of the issue: conservatives who sponsored the initiative, worked to get it on the ballot, and engaged in a strong grass-roots campaign to win; and moderate and progressive religious groups who joined with LGBT advocates, children’s rights experts and advocates, medical professionals, and others to defeat the ban.
Conservatives won, and the ban passed in November 2008. Last month, a state judge in Arkansas struck down the law as unconstitutional. Conservatives and the state attorney general are vowing to appeal his ruling.
In the midst of these developments, "Faith and Family Equality" provides a clear look at the 2008 adoption-ban battle and spells out lessons learned concerning the importance of faith and LGBT alliances that are relevant to states facing upcoming similar fights.
Click here to read the full report.
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