Arkansas
Arkansas voters, unfortunately armed with little public education about the inequalities faced by same-sex couples, passed an anti-relationship recognition amendment in 2004. In 2008, the state passed a discriminatory anti-adoption and foster care measure. State advocates continue to work to repeal discrimination and end the exclusion of same-sex couples from adoption and marriage.
Status: Anti-Relationship Recognition Constitutional Amendment
Groups Actively Working on Marriage
Center for Artistic Revolution: a 501(c)(3)-sponsored statewide organization that strives forFairness and Equality for ALL Arkansans
Blog Posts Related to Arkansas
Movement to ban same-sex couples from adopting: sacrificing the well-being of children
Florida is the only state that bans any gay man or lesbian from adopting. And that has created a dilemma for the courts: either they honor the law or honor their duty to rule in the best interests of the children.
Gay rights groups hit Mike Huckabee
Gay groups are lashing out at former Arkansas GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee for saying in a recent interview that he doesn’t support the freedom to marry, in part, because of the “ick factor.”
Scandal stirs legal questions in anti-gay cases
For years, George A. Rekers has held himself out as an expert witness in court on homosexuality, arguing in cases concerning the freedom to marry and gay adoption that gay men and lesbians lead dangerous lives and raise troubled children.
Now Dr. Rekers himself is under fire, raising new legal questions about his courtroom role.
Resources Related to Arkansas
Census 2010: More Gay Parents Raising Children in South
UCLA demographers analyzing 2010 Census Bureau data have found that same-sex couples raising children are more common in the South than in any other region in the United States.
Results from Ballot Measures in AZ, AR, CA, CT and FL
Find results for states with anti-gay ballot measures in the 2008 election.
Arkansas Census Snapshot
Demographic and economic information about same-sex couples and same-sex couples raising children in Arkansas.