The Johnson Family. Photo courtesy Dustin Johnson.
TAMPA BAY | Dustin and Daniel Johnson finalized the adoption of their six children May 12, a process the husbands began over two years prior.
The Apollo Beach-based couple, 28 and 33, first met five years ago. Dustin says they knew early in their relationship that they wanted to have “kind of a bigger family,” one that included at least three children.
“We started looking at all of the options for having kids, whether that be surrogacy, private adoption or adoption through the foster care system,” he explains. “Our hearts were led more towards the foster care system because of the sheer volume of kids in the Tampa Bay area; it’s insane to know that there are so many kids just waiting for a forever home.”
The Johnsons initially utilized an agency that recruits, trains and supports people to provide care for youth up to 18 years old. Foster parents serve as legal guardians and mentors “who actively help parents improve their ability to safely care for their children.”
“We started classes and they highlighted how sibling groups are hard to place and often have to be broken up,” Dustin remembers. “So we knew right away that we were going to go for a sibling group — with the mindset of three or four kids.”
The Johnsons’ adoption process advanced in November, expedited in part because of a grant from the Heart Gallery of Tampa. The organization advocates for youth who need additional support in finding families due to factors like being a part of a large sibling group and provided funds to pay for a private home study.
“That process typically takes about a year with the backlog that they have, and ours was going to be fast-tracked to be done that month,” Dustin explains. “That was super nice … by January of 2022, our adoption recruiter called us to ask us to list deal breakers and for the maximum amount of kids we would take.
“We listed that we were looking for three or four, but when they asked us for a max, I made the joke that we could fit six kids in the back of our Suburban,” he continues. “I said, ‘so I suppose that’s where we should stop.’”
They called later to ask if the couple would be interested in their six children, then ages 2-10.
“We said we could consider it; we didn’t want to push ourselves past our breaking point,” Dustin says. “So we were interested but wanted to learn more on what that would all entail for the six. That’s when we got the profile on our kids.”
The Johnsons met their children by April 2022 and started a process that began with weekly visits. They moved into their home not long after.
The Johnsons’ lead adoption agency eventually changed to Children’s Network of Hillsborough, the nonprofit that manages Hillsborough County’s child welfare system. From there the couple experienced what Dustin calls “fights, disagreements or ‘system fun,’” resulting in the adoption being delayed from November 2022 to May 2023.
Thankfully, Dustin says, overall being a same-sex couple wasn’t among the hurdles.
“Being two gay guys in Florida we knew that yes, we can legally adopt but obviously the system is allowed to place preferential treatment on ‘standard’ or ‘traditional value families,’” Dustin explains. “We were warned that preferential treatment may go to a mother and a father in a stable home … but it was a really smooth process.”
It’s also one the Johnsons encourage other couples to explore.
“Do it,” Dustin says. “We can’t express that enough; there’s a need for it and we wouldn’t change it for the world. We’re so excited to have our forever family.”
Learn more about the Children’s Network of Hillsborough at ChildrensNetworkHillsborough.org. For even more LGBTQ+-inclusive family resources, check out Watermark’s annual Rainbow Family Guide.
