One of the major controversial issues of this era is the adoption and parenting of children by same-sex couples. It is depressing and upsetting to know that even though many people around the world disapprove of this adoption, thousands of innocent children yearn to be loved and protected without stereotypes. Real facts prove that orphanages, foster families and private adoption homes are not homes for children. The president of Disability Rights International published an excellent article on orphanages in 2013, in which she reported: An estimated 8 to 10 million infants and children live in orphanages around the world, and humanitarian agencies, Churches and governments provide hundreds of millions of dollars in this area. I hope they can help vulnerable children find refuge in these institutions. This hope is truly misplaced. Orphanages are not safe places for children. We have seen thousands of children live in debilitating conditions, with heartbreaking consequences. We've seen neglected babies rocking back and forth, biting their hands and gouging out their eyes from mind-numbing boredom and neglect. We saw infants and children, unable to feed themselves, starve to death because there was no one to feed them. In Romania and Turkey, we found adolescents who weighed less than 30 kilos (Ahern). Helpless children, newborns and adolescents live in the market today. They wake up every day hoping for compassion and love, a family, a home. Donations of clothing, money and food are not enough for everyone. In many cases, these children are victims of the sex trade, sold to international adoption homes, isolated, abused and, in the worst cases, many of them die. Orphanages are not homes. It's about hoping one day... middle of paper... something called compassion for others. We must be more human and put aside the rules that do not allow us to perceive other sides. For example, on the side of a starving child living in an orphanage, victim of abuse and isolation; or the side of a gay couple trying to give love and affection to a being. Homophobia cannot make us heartless; everyone deserves a second chance, let's stop being stupid. These children deserve to live and be loved. Asking gay people to adopt children in need can only help. The world needs kinder people, be one of them. Works Cited Ahern, Laurie. “Orphanages are no place for children.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, August 9, 2013. Web. April 19, 2014. "LGBT Adoption | Gay and Lesbian Adoption | Infant Adoption." LGBT Adoption | Gay and lesbian adoption | Adoption of infants. Np, and Web. April 20. 2014.