This article is one in a series showcasing the families who are plaintiffs in the marriage equality cases that will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on April 28. Read more here.
DETROIT — April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse initially went to court to win the right to jointly adopt each other’s children, not to confront Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage.
Three years later, the Detroit-area nurses sometimes can’t buy groceries without supporters recognizing them and giving a hug.
“We’re kind of in shock and awe of where we’ve gotten to,” DeBoer said. “There are days we question: How did we get here? We’ve been stopped multiple times at our local shopping center with people just telling their story. These are people’s lives that we’ve changed.”
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DeBoer, 44, and Rowse, 50, live in Hazel Park, Michigan, with four adopted children, ages 2 to 6, and a foster child. Each woman has adopted two kids, but they can’t jointly adopt them because Michigan ties that to marriage.
They challenged the state’s same-sex marriage prohibition at the suggestion of a judge who eventually struck down the voter-approved ban.
“We decided that not doing anything would do more harm to our children than standing up and saying we’re going to fight,” DeBoer said.
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“These young children usually have medical needs,” DeBoer said. “We have training. We have room. We have the love.”
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