Gay Man Adopts Girl Nobody Else Wanted

Luca’s Story

Luca Trapanese is a single, gay man who lives in Italy and has always wanted to be a father. The social services in Italy are not likely to give custody of a child to either a homosexual or a single man. Despite the odds, Luca, at the age of 41, decided to press forward with the adoption of baby Alba. Luca had worked in many care centers for special needs people and baby Alba has down syndrome.

Baby Alba

Baby Alba was only 13 days old when Luca decided to try to adopt her. This beautiful little girl with golden blonde hair and crystal blue eyes had been offered up for adoption to 20 different families, all of them rejected her because of her condition. Alba’s very own mother rejected her at birth and put her up for adoption due to the down’s syndrome. 

Adoption

Despite the customary rules of adoption in Italy, Luca was granted custody of this baby girl. After the rejections and because of her condition, the decision was made to let Luca adopt her. She is living happily with her loving father now. The breaking of stereotypes was successful for this family. Being a single, gay father is not at all the prime target in Italy for an adoption scenario, but Luca succeeded. 

“A disabled child is not an opportunity for series b, but a conscious choice with respect to my vocation and my abilities,” says Luca Trapanese.

“I was not afraid of adopting a disabled child. It was an idea I had in the past years with my partner Eduardo, but then we separated. Actually we thought we were going to have a surrogate mother, and then we could opportunity for a child that is difficult to place.

Since I was 14, I volunteered and worked with people with disabilities so I thought I had the right tools to do it , after the separation with my partner it was the option that prevailed for me. So I made a request in the special register that allows singles to adopt in special conditions.“

Happily Together

Luca particularly wanted to be the father of a disabled child or a victim of violence. A decision that had its reasons and now Luca Trapanese recounts in a book “Nata per me”, written with Luca Mercadante.

Trapanese founded in Naples the association “A freewheel”, which takes care of the Down boys, and “The house of Matthew”, for seriously ill children, and also takes care of other activities for the inclusion of disabled people in working life in full autonomy.

Today in Alba’s life there is a family of uncles, grandparents and friends who every day show her love and make her grow.