The majority of trans people describe adoption or foster care as their preferred way of becoming a parent—however, little is known about the actual number of current trans adoptive and foster parents (in comparison to lesbian and gay adoptive and foster parents: for example, in 2007, it was estimated that lesbian and gay parents are raising 4% of adoptive and 3% of foster children). While adoption and foster care are the ideal pathways to parenthood among trans people, there are a number of financial, legal, and logistic barriers that they must navigate. Trans people represent a significant pool of potential parents for a large population of children in need, along with possessing unique strengths as prospective adoptive/foster parents.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and ...