Families’ paths converge on special adoption day

ALBUQUERQUE N.M. — As they faced the district judge in children’s court Friday morning, families had tears in their eyes – but it wasn’t a sad occasion.

As a part of National Adoption Day, judges at the children’s court dedicated part of the day to finalizing adoptions. 

Jude Sena and Karen Reyes adopted baby Trinidad whose older sister they already have custody of. The couple looked after the girls when their mother, Sena and Reyes’ niece, couldn’t.

“Our niece is still not well. We know the streets are bad out there right now. For us to have the opportunity to give these children a chance, we were all in,” Sena said. 

The Reyes-Sena family were not the only ones to celebrate an official adoption. 

“No matter the path that you took to arrive here, the destination will end with the formation of a new family with wonderful new parents. The best example of what it means to have a loving heart is to be a person who adopts children,”  Judge Catherine Begaye said. 

For Ranita Ray and Georgiann Davis, this is the second time they have gone through this process. This time, with their daughter, they hope this process will help change things for other queer families. 

“Georgiann is already her parent and has been since she was born. But we still have to have a second-parent adoption, even though she’s already her second mom,” Ray said. 

“I think it’s time to rethink the homophobic nature of second-parent adoption and offer the option for queer people the right to parent their children just as we offer heterosexual people the right to parent their children,” Ray added.