Bill Jones (BJ) and Stu Maddux (SM)
BJ: They were looking for somebody with family in the area and I had family in the area. They were looking for somebody that had some contact with children. I had been a schoolteacher for six years. And so a wonderful social worker set me up with an interview. She looked up at the ceiling and she said, ”You know, I think homosexuals would make very good parents. But if I was told that, the committee would be obligated not to make the placement. So I hope that if a homosexual ever wants to adopt, they don’t tell me.”
SM: Don’t tell me you’re gay or this is not gonna happen.
BJ: Right. Yeah.
SM: So what was Aaron like as a little kid?
BJ: He was darling, but he had been turned down by about five couples. His mother was a heroin addict. When she gave birth to him, he went through withdrawal himself. And by about two years old, he knew no words at all. So when I first saw him, I turned him down. You know, children know when they’ve been rejected. So, I found myself down at FAO Schwartz. I had bought a, uh, teddy bear. I went back to the adoption agency and I said, ”I want to give a present to that kid.” Aaron heard my voice and came running across the room and threw his arms around my legs. And I just cried. And it was finalized on February 13, 1969. And so we always celebrated our adoption day on Valentine’s Day. His first word was ”Daddy,” which made me very happy. His first sentence was, ”I love you.” And then, we found out he had some neurological damage. You know, he was a paranoid schizophrenic. And I had so many doctors, but by the time he was 15, he told me he was on drugs. Every day was a struggle with him. Except that he was a loving sweet person. But, when he 30, the phone rang about seven o’clock in the morning. And it was the coroner. He said, “Are you the father of Aaron Jones?” And I said, “Yes.” He bought $10 worth of very pure heroin and died between two abandoned buildings. I don’t know what I could have done, I tried everything. I…I don’t know what I could have done.
SM: You know, I’ve always wondered if you had any regrets about the adoption.
BJ: I still cry over the ending. But I don’t…I would do it again. I loved him so much, and he loved me, too. And so, I was lucky in so many ways.
The state of California was having trouble placing hundreds of children, especially older boys, in homes. At the time, most kids were adopted into two-parent households. But Bill, a gay man who had always wanted to be a father, decided to apply.