INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — One metro couple is celebrating Thanksgiving after adopting a five-year old son, but at the same time are forced to face the prejudices that come as a result of being gay parents.
Joe Beck spends a lot of time in family court trying to find foster children permanent homes, but last Friday, his time in front of the judge was personal.
“I was very nervous sitting in the courtroom. I was concerned I was going to say the wrong thing and I’ve been in the courtroom hundreds of times,” said Beck.
Beck was there to finalize his adoption of five-year old Jose. In fact, Jose is the fifth child Beck has adopted.
“We now have five kids that range in ages from 16 down to five,” he said.
What makes Beck’s situation unique is that his children have two dads. Beck’s partner is David Beighley.
“When we go in public, we’re an interesting family to look at,” said Beck. “We can’t drive through a McDonald’s drive-thru without people trying to figure out what it’s all about…two white guys, five to six black kids, and a Hispanic kid…whats going on there?”
Beck said gay or straight–the adoption process is all the same–but the prejudices some couples face compared to others are not.
“We’re normal people, we’re not aliens. We’re just like anybody else,” he said.
And these children who found forever homes with Beighley and Beck know that, and on this Thanksgiving Eve, Jose said he’s thankful for that.
“I have the best family because they really love me,” he said.
“For the judge to say, ‘Do you want this’ to Jose and for him to give the thumbs up and then to ring the bell, I thought ‘Okay, this was the absolute right thing for him and our family,” said Beck.
