The Ham Family Two gay Arizona men who have legally adopted the 12 children they’d been fostering have been honoured among Esquire magazine’s fathers of the year. Steven and Roger Ham are not legally allowed to adopt as a couple in Arizona, so Steven had adopted ten of the children on his own in Arizona, while the two others were adopted in Washington State, where gay couples can adopt. The couple was concerned about not both being legal parents, then lawyer Shelly Krebs stepped in and arranged joint adoption for the other ten children in Washington State for a fraction of the normal cost. "As a businessperson, it's a little more paperwork, and it's a little more time for me," but the world is not always about time and money,” Krebs has told Arizona Republic. The children are aged from three to 17 and include six natural siblings. After six years at home as a full-time dad Steven has returned to work now the youngest child, Olivia, is at pre-school. Roger is a school bus driver and the youngsters call him “Papa” and Steven “Dad”. “We just happen to be two gay men who adopted 12 children,” the couple has told ABC News. “It’s not amazing to us, it’s just our life. Family is love.” See the family below:
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 14th August 2012 - 1:54pm