VIRGINIA: State Board Votes 7-2 Against Allowing Gay Couples To Adopt

Following the advice of anti-gay Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a state board has voted 7-2 against allowing gay couples to adopt.

The State Board of Social Services has voted overwhelmingly against new adoption rules that some say would allow same-sex couples to adopt in the state for the first time. In a 7-2 vote Wednesday afternoon, the board opted against the new rules, first proposed by former governor Tim Kaine. In Virginia, only married couples and single men and women, regardless of sexual orientation, can adopt. The proposed changes would require private and faith-based groups, such as Catholic Charities and Jewish Family Services, to allow gay parents to adopt or foster children.

Democrats hold a 5-4 majority on the board.