Galluccio, Michael 1963(?)-

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GALLUCCIO, Michael 1963(?)-

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1963; partner of Jon Galluccio since April 16, 1982; children: Adam, Madison, Rosa.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Maywood, NJ. Agent—Todd Shuster, c/o Zachary Shuster Agency, 45 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Author, speaker, and adoption advocate.

WRITINGS:

(With Jon Galluccio and David Groff) An American Family, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2001.

SIDELIGHTS:

New Jersey couple Michael and Jon Galluccio played a pivotal role in the state court decision that allows unmarried couples to adopt children jointly. Michael and Jon had been together for sixteen years when they became foster parents to an infant boy. After a year of caring for Adam, who was born with the HIV virus and multiple drug addictions, their attempt to adopt him was blocked by a state law that prohibited unmarried couples from adopting together. A class-action lawsuit was launched, with the Galluccios as lead plaintiffs.

The couple chronicle the challenges they faced while caring for an ill infant, the court battle over Adam's adoption and the ultimate decision in their favor, and their fostering and adoption of an infant girl and her teenaged half-sister in An American Family. Michael and Jon alternate narration of the book, written with the help of writer David Groff. Richard J. Violette, reviewing An American Family for Library Journal, deemed the book a "heartwarming and inspiring spin on family values," while a Publishers Weekly reviewer called it a "moving, often funny and sometimes quite poignant memoir" exploring the many struggles that "gay couples (and unmarried heterosexual couples) often face when dealing with issues of foster care, adoption, and social intolerance."