1.   A judge later allowed the joint adoption in the best interest of the child.

2.   Last October, Judge Sybil Moses of Superior Court in Bergen County granted the joint adoption, saying it was in the best interest of the child.

3.   Mississippi bars joint adoptions by gay couples, although individual gays and lesbians are allowed to adopt.

4.   Two months later, all legal barriers to joint adoption by unmarried same-sex and heterosexual couples were removed in a broader consent decree.

5.   Under state law, joint adoptions are allowed only by married couples.

6.   Although the new Dutch law was considered a major victory for gay rights, activists are still fighting to lift the ban on joint adoption.