ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 14, 1999

Gay couple expects approval for their second joint adoption

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- A gay couple from Bergen County who helped pioneer the right for homosexual and unmarried couples to jointly adopt children in New Jersey is seeking to jointly adopt a second child. The couple said Friday they expect to gain approval to adopt their second foster child, 2-year-old Madison, at a hearing Monday before state Superior Court Judge Sybil R. Moses.

In October 1997, Moses permitted the Maywood men, Jon Holden and Michael Galluccio, to jointly adopt their first child, Adam, who is now 3. The men had cared for him since he was 3 months old. Later that year, Moses approved a settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by gay couples against the state.

The men have been known as Jon and Michael Galluccio since their union was blessed in an Episcopal ceremony in June. Jon, 35, and Michael, 37, have been together for more than 17 years.

The settlement, which applies only to children in the state's custody, made New Jersey the first state to put gay and unmarried couples seeking joint adoption on equal footing with married couples, streamlining the process for them, gay advocates said.

The lawsuit came about because New Jersey, like about half the states, allowed each individual in a gay or unmarried relationship to adopt a child, but the "second-parent" adoption required an additional petition, taking more time and money.

The Galluccios began caring for Madison when she was less than 3 months old. She had been born addicted to heroin and tested positive for the HIV virus. With treatment, she was later found free of HIV, they said.