For the first time since Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled last year that same-sex couples are eligible to adopt children, a gay couple officially adopted their son. Shai Gortler and his partner Shahar Gloverman left the Family Court on Tuesday visibly emotional as they held their one-year-old son, Shai Jr., in their arms. The court officially approved the adoption order, making the boy their legal son.
The adoption brought immense joy and hope, but also highlighted that the fight for equality is far from over. "The road to equality is still long," Gloverman noted. "We filed the petition to the Supreme Court in 2016, but the ruling only came at the end of 2023. The process could have been shorter and simpler; it’s a shame it took so long."
This marks the first time a gay couple has adopted as a couple in Israel under equal adoption laws, similar to heterosexual couples. Before the ruling, same-sex couples were given lower priority for adoptions within Israel and often had to resort to expensive and complex procedures abroad. Until now, only a few such couples had been able to adopt children in Israel, usually as single parents. This is the first time a joint adoption order has been granted to both partners.
This milestone was no small feat. The couple went through a long journey to reach this point. They were among the petitioners in the Supreme Court case filed by the Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel and the Reform Center for Religion and State, which sought to overturn the historical discrimination against same-sex couples. "We made a modest contribution to ending discrimination, enjoyed the fruits of the Supreme Court ruling ourselves, and opened the door for others," said Gortler.
The Supreme Court ruling, issued in December 2023, paved the way for additional LGBTQ couples to start the adoption process in Israel. Since the adoption process takes at least a year, Gortler and Gloverman are the first to benefit from this historic decision, embracing their adopted son with love and excitement.
"We are overjoyed to adopt our child after the long journey we've been through," the couple said. "A weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We are happy that the Supreme Court eliminated discrimination and allowed us to adopt as a couple. It gives us confidence that our family structure will remain stable for many years." The Tel Aviv-based couple have been in a relationship for almost 16 years. Since 2015, they have been trying to adopt. They adopted their daughter, Tanya, 8, through a lengthy process in the United States.
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Attorney Riki Shapira Rosenberg, a representative of the petitioners from Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), said that: "Today, equality gained faces and names, and a happy family was born in Israel." She emphasized that this case once again demonstrates that the Supreme Court is the defender of human rights in Israel. "It was a long struggle," she added, "but after two petitions and seven years, we have achieved the desired outcome: 'Equality in adoption for the LGBTQ community.'"
Hila Pe'er, chair of the Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel, shared in the joy of the couple. "We are overjoyed to see the faces of Shai and Shahar, who joined us in the petition and now embrace their child with a joint adoption order, free of discrimination that was previously practiced against LGBTQ individuals. These are the people we work so hard for and fight for in the social and legal arenas. We send the couple and their children our blessings and best wishes. May their family grow."