Homosexuality has been a sensitive subject in society for a long time, and in recent years, it has sparked both support and controversy in areas such as legalizing gay and lesbian marriage and various other matters that have arisen surrounding the movement towards equality of treatment and integration into society. One of these matters that has garnered attention is gay parenting. With some states now allowing same-sex marriage or unions, the next step being taken is starting a family. There has been wide speculation into sexual orientation and whether it has an impact on homosexuals and their abilities to be good parents. Because of this, many people have carried out detailed studies and research on this topic to determine whether this …show more content…
Their findings somewhat oppose results from previous studies claiming that sexual orientation did not matter. Stacey and Biblarz found that children of “lesbigay parents” differ in subtle and interesting ways, but these differences were not indicative of a causal relationship but rather an “association with heterosexist social conditions” (159, 176) Although there are minor differences recognized, Stacey and Biblarz feel that they shouldn’t be seen in a negative light or used as a basis for “taking sexual orientation into account in the political distribution of family rights and responsibilities” (179).
Brian Miller approached the topic of gay parenting from a different perspective. He queried the parenting abilities of homosexual fathers who were previously married to women and had biological children during those marriages. Many gay fathers find themselves facing custody battles based on several misleading notions. The main claims investigated by Miller were incidents of gay fathers molesting their children, increased occurrence of homosexual children, and cases of “homophobic harassment” experienced by their kids (545). None of these claims were supported. In fact, Miller believed that keeping gay fathers away would “do more harm than good” (547). Gay fathers were found to spend more time with their children and gain more “satisfaction from their relationships” (Miller 550, 551).
William Saletan – a writer interested in political, scientific, and technological topics and a contributor to the online pop magazine Slate – published the informative and well-written article Back in the Gay in Slate Magazine. The main purpose of the article is to reveal whether same-sex couples are appropriate and harmless when it comes to parenting and raising a child. In order to strengthen his points and intensify the degree of persuasion in his argument, he provides us with various scientific studies and research concerning the addressed issue. William Saletan’s sole aim is to deliver the message to the readers that it is a common misconception and entirely false to claim that same-sex couples build a toxic environment as unfit parents,
Arguments for gay and lesbian families is a concern for the sanctity of marriage is often accompanied by a discomfort with the idea of gay and lesbian families, based on misinformation about the quality of those relationships and their impact on children (Kimmel 184). Arguments that support gay and lesbian families are mainly focused on having the same equal rights as heterosexuals. Many gay and lesbian couples want to get married because of the benefits they acquire such as the right to inherit from a spouse who dies without a will, the right to consult with doctors and make crucial decisions (Kimmel 184). A meta analysis of social studies of gay and lesbian parenting suggests that children are more accepting of homosexuality and maybe more likely to indicate a willingness to consider homosexual relationships themselves (Kimmel 186). Another great example is daughters of lesbian and gay parents are more assertive, confident, and ambitious, and sons are less conforming to traditional masculine aggression and domination and have a better understanding of their gender identity (Kimmel
This article talks about the support of second parent adoption for gays everywhere. They support the idea that children with two capable adults no matter what gender are able and should be able to care for a child. Although they support this, the article does not show any sort of negativity toward the opposite side relating the issue. The site details the rights that the second parent should be guaranteed through an adoption. They also think that pediatricians and other professions dealing with children should get more familiar with learning about gays and the children they adopt. The authors are the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. The people in the committee have many different backgrounds and are advocates for children’s
In conclusion, the augment for gay adoption is far stronger and far better supported than those opposed. One must admit that sexual orientation is fundamentally irrelevant to a person’s capacity to be a good parent. The opposition to gay and lesbian adoption has failed to support its
“There is no scientific basis for concluding that lesbian mothers or gay fathers are unfit parents on the basis of their sexual orientation” (Armesto, 2002; Patterson, 2000; Tasker & Golombok, 1997). Ever since gay and lesbians have been parents people have questioned how the parents’ sexual orientation impacts child and adolescent development. Opponents of same-sex parents argue that sexual orientation has a negative impact on child development, while proponents argue that the relationship between the child and parents is what matters. National, state, and local governments are faced with the controversy surrounding same-sex parenting. People have very strong opinions on both sides of the argument. Children and adolescents who are under lesbian or gay parents have normal child development compared with children under heterosexual parents. These children develop normally socially, mentally, and academically.
Recent representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) families in mainstream media, exemplified by the long-running sitcom Modern Family, and the 2015 United States Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of same-sex marriage, may lead some to believe LGBT families are a recent phenomenon. Daniel Winunwe Rivers’ Radical Relations: Lesbian Mothers, Gay Fathers, and Their Children in the United States since World War II brilliantly uncovers the previously untold history of same-sex families.
As it has been in dispute for years since it was first brought to light, the concern for same-sex parenting continues to be raised in society with jabs at ethics and practicality. As of June 26, 2015, all U.S. states have legalized gay-marriage and same-sex parenting, marking a significant breakaway for previous social norms. Yet, even with this crucial development in our culture, disputes against it still manage to work their way into daily discussions. With the recent legalizing, those who were against gay-marriage or gay couples being able to raise children are now forced to accept this rapidly changing world and be open to modern advancements.
Every single child deserve the chance to be part of a caring, nurturing family. Whether the family has a single mother, single father, or two parents. There are many opportunities for individuals to become the legal guardian (or guardians) of a child. Those opportunities, however, are not as easily accessed for gay and lesbian prospective parents as they are for straight people, and many times, these opportunities are completely prohibited by state laws. Recently, there has been a major boost in the amount of gay and lesbian couples hoping to adopt children in the United States. Ironically enough, there is also a critical shortage in the overall number of foster and adoptive parents. In order to solve the problem faced by thousands of children who are struggling without the guidance and love of a family, adoption laws must be more feasible, especially for homosexuals who are willing and capable parents. While it is obviously quite important for adoption requirements to be strict and specific, custody of these children should not be denied to someone who is capable simply due to their sexual orientation. This is for many reasons including that it is discriminatory, sexual preference does not affect one’s parenting ability, many gay and lesbian people foster wonderful parenting abilities from experience, and that there are thousands of children in need of adoption.
Good parenting is not influenced by sexual orientation, but by parents creating a loving and nurturing home. With increased inclusiveness, more children are now in homes with qualified parents over being in the state system. Adoptive parents are being discriminated on adopting children based on gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status and so more children are “aging out” of the foster care system. Children are aging out of foster care because the federal government is not allowing parents to adopt based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status and those children are going without having the loving and nurturing home that they need so the Every Child Deserves a Family Act should be put in place.
LGBTQ is becoming something that is more of a concerned focused topic, but plunging deeper into it, single sex families are said to have no disadvantages compared to families of opposite sex. There are many questions that tend to pop up within this topic. What about the children? Do these households with single-sex families have any disadvantages? Are children better off with opposite sex families? There is also a possible disagreement amongst sociologists as to if there are any consequences of raising a child in a single-sex family and if it could be harmful to the child or not. In gay parented families there are also a function of two different things: the first one being the rich variety of family constellations that they comprise, and the second one being that the other is the fact that they are living in a society that hasn’t even came to value rich variety which this could lead to a major amount of tension for families in gay parenting. One last but not least issue that serves in LGBT parenting is that the development of sexual identity will be impaired among children of lesbian and gay parents.
There is a negative perception about the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus) community’s ability to parent. People assume that individuals from this community are mentally unstable, want to “turn kids gay,” or are otherwise unfit parents. There is an abundance of research on lesbian mothers and the outcome of their children, however there is very little on gay fathers, bisexual, or transgender parents. Without the research on these communities it can create uninformed assumptions, making it harder for individuals in the community to be taken seriously as parents. Because there is plenty of work on lesbian mothers available, I chose instead to focus on gay male, bisexual, and transgender parents.
This paper discusses same-sex parenting and some of the situations they have experienced. I will be discussing how this same sex pair handles family life, their demographics in relation to class material and Family Systems Theory as well as personal and professional application in their situation. There are a number of same sex parents in society today. Same sex families are no different from other families, but there are a few unique challenges that occasionally arise. Same sex parents still have a very effective style of parenting. I can see how a child’s success still comes from the quality of the parent-child relationships.
Since the early 1900s, homosexual people have become increasingly popular and greatly resisted. People that are homosexual face barriers placed upon them by the political system and society. Due to these challenges, homosexuals fought to have the same marital and parental rights as heterosexual people. Same-sex adoption is not prohibited in most states in the United States of America and many places worldwide. Family is not determined solely on blood relations and should be legalized in all parts of the world; because homosexual parents are just as good as heterosexual parents, if not better, and can provide an enriching second chance for many children waiting to be adopted.
Nowadays, the question of gay marriage is one of the most heated and controversial. Over the years, same-sex couples are fighting for the legal recognition for their marriages and their right as parents. Parenthood is one of the most valuable experiences in a human life. After finding a partner, it is natural for people to want to raise children. Homosexual parent are the same in ability and commitment to raised healthy children. It would be a big step for improvement in our society to provide necessary support and rights for same-sex couples and their children.
In the United States alone, over one hundred thousand children are adopted each year, but the U.S. population is indecisive as to who specifically should be allowed to adopt these children (Off and Running 1). The people that try to prohibit gay and lesbian couples from adopting children fight to prove their illegitimate parenting skills; some organizations fear for a child’s wellbeing if not raised by a different-sex couple. Despite opposition, gay and lesbian parents are currently raising about four percent of all adopted children in the U.S.; an estimated twenty-two thousand children (Gates 4).