It’s no longer just about breaking traditional family norms. Three homosexual men now want to be the legal parents of one little girl. What will Canadian authorities do? “I don’t believe having four, five, six, seven or eight parents is in the best interest of a child,” said Justice Minister and Attorney General Simon Jolin-Barrette.
Eric LeBlanc, Jonathan Bédard, and Justin Maheu explained that they had been trying for years to become parents, and this week they finally found the right child. The trio, who live together in Montreal as what they call a “throuple,” adopted a three-year-old girl on Thursday through Quebec Youth Protection Services (DPJ).
“She’s perfect,” LeBlanc told CTV News. “She’s curious, full of energy. She loves to play, jump, and dance.”
The adoption process, however, was long and required extensive preparation. The trio spent two years in foster care and hired a lawyer to persuade adoption officials that they were suitable parents. The main obstacle turned out to be Quebec’s laws, which do not recognize more than two legal parents.
LeBlanc, Bédard, and Maheu admit that the first adoption agency they approached refused to accept them because of these legal limitations. After hiring a lawyer, they managed to convince another agency, which began evaluating their application more than two years ago.
“During the process, they learned that we’re a little different because there are three of us, but we’re no different from other families,” LeBlanc told CTV News.
The three men are now demanding that all of them be recognized as the girl’s legal parents in Quebec. In April of last year, a Superior Court judge in the province ruled that the government had one year to amend the Civil Code to allow children to have more than two legal parents. The judge stated that the current situation is “unconstitutional” and violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by discriminating against nontraditional families. However, Quebec is appealing the decision.
Justice Minister and Attorney General Simon Jolin-Barrette warned that recognizing multi-parent families could harm children.
“Having more than two parents can have serious consequences for a child,” he said, adding, “I don’t believe having four, five, six, seven, or eight parents is in the best interest of the child.”
LeBlanc told CTV News that the case might reach the Supreme Court. “We’re saddened that we’re not receiving support from our own government, which should be open and willing to help every family,” he said.
Not all three men are legally recognized as the girl’s parents, but they say they share the joys and responsibilities of parenting equally. “We’re lucky there are three of us to give her all the support she needs — but honestly, I think we’re the lucky ones to have her in our lives,” said LeBlanc.
The term “throuple” refers to a relationship between three people, a form of consensual polyamory. Like Quebec, most U.S. states do not recognize more than two legal parents. According to the Vanier Institute of the Family, about one in five Canadians and Americans has reported engaging in consensual polyamory.