Can Transgender People Adopt or Place a Baby for Adoption? [Adoption Is an Option]

As you’re facing an unplanned pregnancy, you may be wondering what your options are. If you are transgender, unintended pregnancy may feel even more stressful. From a general standpoint, there are three unplanned pregnancy options to select from:

• Abortion
• Adoption
• Parenting

But, what are your unplanned pregnancy options as a transgender person? Trans men can have unplanned pregnancies, too. No matter what gender you identify as, you have the same options as anyone else with an unplanned pregnancy.

Still, if you are reading this article, then you are likely considering adoption, whether that’s as a prospective birth parent or a hopeful adoptive parent. To help you make the best decision for your situation, we have put together this guide that explains how adoption works if you’re trans. So, can transgender people adopt or place a baby for adoption? Yes, this is 100% an option.

Transgender Adoption for Prospective Birth Parents [What You Need to Know]

For transgender people with an unintended pregnancy, adoption is always an option. If you are transgender and considering placing a baby up for adoption, then this is absolutely a choice that you can make. You can find the right adoption professional for your needs and preferences, and they can help you complete your adoption from start to finish.

As a prospective birth parent, you will be in 100% control of your adoption plan. In other words, you get to call all the shots while your trusted adoption professional does all the heavy lifting for you. To give you a better idea of what you get to choose, here are a few things that you’ll get to decide:

• What type of adoption you’d like to pursue
• What adoptive family you would like to raise your child
• What hospital you want to deliver your baby at

So, if you are transgender with an unintended pregnancy, you can pursue adoption. If you are pregnant and transgender, abortion and parenting are also options. But, adoption may have more benefits for you. Also, the vast majority of adoptions today are open.

This means that you can stay in touch with your child and the adoptive family long after placement if you’d like. Open adoption is never “goodbye.” Rather, it is simply “see you later.” Although adoption is not for everyone, it could be the right unplanned pregnancy option for your situation.

How Does Adoption Work for a Transgender Man with an Unintended Pregnancy Placing a Baby?

If you are transitioning from FTM and accidentally pregnant, then you might be wondering how the adoption process works. Whether you are a trans man or cisgender, the adoption journey works just the same. Below, we’ve outlined the general process to give you a solid understanding of what you can expect if you are FTM and pregnant:

Step 1: Research Trans-Affirming Adoption Agencies

Your first step as a transgender prospective birth parent will be getting in touch with trans-affirming adoption agencies and selecting the one that is best for you. According to the Human Rights Campaign, there are a handful of details that you should keep an eye out for. Also, we’ve provided a list of a few adoption agencies below that work with people in the LGBTQ+ community:

• American Adoptions
• Lifelong Adoptions
• Adoptions Together

Step 2: Choose the Right Adoptive Family for Your Baby

One of the most important aspects of your adoption journey will be choosing the right adoptive family for your baby. Your adoption professional will sit down with you and show you various profiles of hopeful adoptive families that match your needs and preferences. You can browse these video profiles until you’ve found the right fit for your child. Remember to trust your “gut” during this stage, as it will often steer you in the right direction.

Step 3: Get to Know the Adoptive Family [If You Choose Open Adoption]

If you’d like, then you can get to know the adoptive family a bit better in the case of open adoption. You may feel nervous as someone pursuing transgender adoption, and that is completely normal. Working with trans-affirming adoption agencies can make it easier to find a family that supports you.

Remember, as the prospective birth parent, you are in complete control of your adoption journey. This includes deciding what form of communication you’d like to use with the adoptive parents, such as:

• Zoom or Skype calls
• In-person visits
• Emails
• Text messages
• Or whatever you feel comfortable with

Step 4: Prepare for Your Hospital Stay

Part of your adoption plan also includes making your hospital plan. This is a detailed outline of how you’d like your stay at the hospital to go when it comes time for you to give birth. Just as your adoption professional helped you create your adoption plan, they will also help you make your hospital plan. You’ll make one in advance to prevent long-term stress and pressure.

Keep in mind that adoption is 100% free for prospective birth parents like you. Whether you are pursuing transgender adoption or adoption as a cisgender person, you can receive adoption financial assistance that covers all your pregnancy- and adoption-related costs. In other words, you don’t need to fret over the finances.

Once you give birth, you’ll wait 48-72 hours before signing any official adoption paperwork. This is to ensure that you’re in a stable frame of mind before you sign something permanent. Once you sign the paperwork, you will officially become a birth parent.

Can Transgender People Adopt? [And Can Adoption Agencies Know If You’re Trans?]

When you are pursuing transgender adoption as a hopeful adoptive parent, there’s one thing you need to know about the official adoption paperwork. Some of these forms may use pronouns like “she/her” or the phrase “biological mother.”

In other words, if you don’t identify as a woman, this paperwork might misgender you, which is frustrating and unfortunate. Still, your adoption professional will let you know about this ahead of time, and they’ll understand that these forms do not reflect your identity or their personal beliefs about the LGBTQ+ community.

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If you have any more questions about transgender adoption, then we are here to answer them at any time. You can fill out our online contact form whenever you’re ready to get free adoption information now. We’d be happy to help you out.