Gay Dads Denied Parenthood of Twins Due to Texas Law

Two Texas men are currently in a fight for their family's rights. Jason Hanna and Joe Riggs have been battling the courts since April to be named the parents of their twin sons, Lucas and Ethan. Due to a Texas law that prevents two men from being listed on a birth certificate, neither Jason nor Joe is named the father. The only person listed on the certificate is the surrogate, who has no biological relation to the twins.

After getting married last July in Washington DC, where gay marriage is legal, Joe and Jason returned to their home in Dallas, where they found a surrogate mother. But because Texas has a ban on gay marriage, they cannot be named the fathers to their biological sons. Even if the courts list one of them as the father of each child, they will still have to fight the courts for the right to adopt each other's child and become one family unit.

"In order to grant a second-parent adoption [automatically under current law], it has to be between two married people," Jason explained in a radio interview with Sirius XM. "Considering we're not legally married in the eyes of Texas, they don't have to grant that second-parent adoption."

To see why second-parent adoption is so important to the dads, read the full story on The Huffington Post. Source: You Caring users Jason Hanna and Joe Riggs