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Florida's outdated gay adoption ban took another punch after a Miami judge approved the adoption of a 1-year-old girl by a lesbian couple in Hollywood, according to the Miami Herald.
The ruling came in the case of Vanessa Alenier who took custody of an infant relative who had been taken by child welfare workers. She refused to lie about her sexual orientation on the state adoption form despite Florida's 33-year-old law banning gays and lesbians from adopting.
The decision by Miami-Dade Court Circuit Judge Maria Sampedro-Iglesia is the third finalized adoption by a gay parent or couple in Florida.
Alenier, 34, shares a home near downtown Hollywood with her longtime partner, Melanie Leon.
"We knew we wanted to be parents, both of us,' Alenier said. The infant "was a family member. We couldn't say no. We strongly wanted to be a family.
"It's the most amazing thing that ever happened to us,' Alenier said. "It's changed our lives.'
"There is no rational connection between sexual orientation and what is or is not in the best interest of a child," Sampedro-Iglesia wrote in her order. "The child is happy and thriving with [Alenier]."
In her ruling, Sampedro-Iglesia declared Florida's adoption law "unconstitutional on its face."
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