Despite what religious adoption agencies and the Supreme Court may think, many wonderful things can spring out from a gay man adopting and raising children. Just take Jerry and Jordan Windle as an example.
During last week’s U.S. Olympic Diving Trials, 22-year-old Jordan Windle qualified for the men’s platform diving event at the upcoming Tokyo Games. And while his qualification is a success all on its own. Many have turned toward Windle’s father, Jerry, to hear about the full story of how Jordan got to this triumphant moment.
As OutSports reports, Jerry adopted Jordan after going through several hurdles to adopt in the United States. After the adoption, Jerry helped Jordan recover from “malnutrition, scabies, intestinal parasites, and severe infections.”
Then in order to keep Jordan healthy and social, Jerry signed his 7-year-old son up for diving camp. It was there that Jordan got noticed by a diving coach named Ron O’Brien.
The small family’s story quickly pivoted upwards to success. Not only did Jordan take part in, and win, several diving programs, but the father-son duo co-authored a book called, “An Orphan No More: The True Story of a Boy.”
But according to NBC Sports, the journey to the Olympics wasn’t so initially successful. In fact, it took Jordan Windle three tries before he qualified. At the young age of 13, Windle placed sixth in the synchro event with Zach Cooper. Then at 17, Jordan Windle tried again but placed fourth in the individual event. Only now, at the age of 22, did Jordan achieve his dream of qualifying for the Olympics.
“It makes me feel really good knowing that I made my family proud and my team proud,” Jordan, who is now attending the University of Texas in Austin as a Culture of Sport major, said. “Pushing through a lot of pain and a lot of obstacles has been quite the journey, but in the end it worked out and I couldn’t be more happy.”
Speaking to Queerty, Jerry noted that despite the recent events around gay people adopting children, he lives as an example that it can be done. And, that it can be done successfully.
“Although there have been some people who didn’t think a gay person could raise a well-balanced, mentally healthy child or should be allowed to raise children; our story is definitive proof that that assumption is purely wrong and is a fallacy,” Jerry said.
He added, “Jordan is a humble, kind, generous, and nurturing human being who knows and believes all humans are created equal and every human being deserves to be happy, to love and be loved unconditionally – PERIOD.”
“For the most part, the diving community has been incredibly supportive of our family,” he continued. “In fact, I’ve had many of Jordan’s friends tell him that he had the best dad in the world – and I suppose I’m one of the ‘cool dads’!”
Source: NBC Sports, OutSports, Queerty,
Bravo thank you for sharing. It makes me very proud.
Inspiring story and dad like you make everything happen for those kids that left behind her a second chance in happiness