Elton John Was Stopped From Adopting Ukrainian Orphan Kid Because He Was Gay
Image: Sir Elton John. Image: Instagram
Sir Elton John has revealed that he was stopped from adopting a Ukrainian kid in 2009 because he was gay.
Elton, who is now the father of two kids with his husband David Furnish, spoke to Dua Lipa about his journey to fatherhood, on the singer’s new podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service.
Elton said that he and his husband never thought of having kids till they visited the orphanage in Ukraine in 2009.
‘I Wasn’t Allowed To (Adopt)’
“I was carrying this little boy around for hours. We had a press conference at the end and they said ‘You seem very fond of this little boy. Would you think of adopting him?’ and I went ‘I’d actually love to!’,” Elton recalled.
“Of course, not thinking about social media – it went around the world straight away. It was ‘Elton John wants to adopt two children’.”
But being an out gay musician meant that he couldn’t adopt the 14-month old kid. “Because I was gay I wasn’t allowed to anyway,” Elton told Dua Lipa.
“After that happened, David said ‘Well, what do you think about having kids?’ I always said no but this little boy was telling me something. He was saying ‘c’mon you can be a dad’ and that’s when we decided to have children, because of this little boy in Ukraine.”
So sad to be missing out on these family photos from #EJAFOscars tonight with David, @LadyGaga and the boys but I’m sending my love to everyone for their support of @EJAF. It means the world to us! pic.twitter.com/yYqMi80EjF
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) March 28, 2022
LGBTQI Rights In Ukraine
At the time Ukrainian Family, Youth and Sports Minister Yuriy Pavlenko had said that they would not process Elton’s application for adoption if he filed one
“Elton John will not be able to adopt a Ukrainian child and if he files that request we will unfortunately deny it. The law is the same for everybody: for a president, for a minister, for Elton John.”
The LGBTQI community has been fighting for its rights in Ukraine and for over a decade Pride marches have been held in the capital city Kyiv. Ukraine initiated progressive law reforms since 2015, including an anti-workplace discrimination law and the passing of laws to make it easier for trans people to transition.
Sir Elton Turns 75
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Elton, who is on the North American leg of his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour’, celebrated his 75th birthday on March 25. Earlier, he had revealed that he would be travelling to Australia and New Zealand with his family for the Christmas holidays in 2022.
For his 75th birthday, he penned a letter to his two sons Zachary (11) and Elijah (9).
View this post on Instagram
“Twelve years ago, David Furnish and I began the most rewarding journey when we decided to start a family. My greatest wish is for my boys to grow up in a world free from conflict and judgement, full of love and unity and experience the joy of giving back. I’ll continue to fight and advocate until every child—every person, everywhere—has that same opportunity,” the gay icon said on Instagram.
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