Shawn Long and his partner, Craig Johnson, are North Carolina natives who have been together for 20 years. Together, they are raising their 12-year-old son whom they adopted from the foster care system. But because North Carolina law does not allow second parent adoptions or marriage for same-sex couples, only Craig is recognized as the legal parent of their son, bringing an array of difficulties to their family's security and wellbeing.
Shawn, Craig, and their son, Isaiah, are one of six families the ACLU is representing in a federal lawsuit challenging North Carolina's bans on second parent adoption and marriage for same-sex couples. In a powerful op-ed in today's Raleigh News & Observer, Shawn explains why they are part of that lawsuit, and how North Carolina's current laws harm his family:
Every time I take our son to the doctor, pick him up from school or get him from camp, I have to be sure to have copies of our power of attorney out of fear that someone might question my relationship to my own son. When I once had to take Craig to the emergency room in the middle of the night, I was terrified because I forgot our legal papers. Our son was 7, and Craig was incapacitated, so it was a time of pure fear and worry. Thankfully, the ER staff was very professional and understanding, seeing a family in need, but we have no guarantee that that will be the case every time.
If something happens to Craig, I have no legal relationship to our son, whom we’ve raised together most of his life. Would a judge grant me custody and eventually let me truly adopt him? Or would he go back into foster care?