Same-Sex Parenting In the last ten years, many established gay men and lesbians have been increasingly undertaking parenthood through donor insemination, surrogacy, or fostering and adoption (McCann, 2005). Thus, a new type of family formation in American society has been generated. Due to the formation of same-sex households, gay and lesbian parenting is no longer a concept. This type of parenting has become a reality which society as a whole is struggling to accept (McCann, 2005). In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau counted gay marriages in its survey for the first time in order to provide official data for researchers and policy makers (Wagner, 2010). Such data could help track trend in gay and lesbian family formation and impacts on children of these household types and of the policies affecting them. Heterosexual and homosexual-headed families finally have a chance to learn more about their similarities and differences in term of life experiences and challenges in raising children (Wagner, 2010). In many western societies, gay males have not been supported as primary caregivers, but the desire to raise a child appears to be strong in gay men, especially in the United States. According to a 2007 study of adoption trends by the UCLA School of Law and the Urban Institute, more than 50% of gay men said they desired to be a parent, compared with 41% of lesbians surveyed (As Cited In Wagner, 2010). Gay fathers in the United Sates indicate that desire to have children is part of finding happiness and satisfaction in life. Like heterosexual parents, they also want to pass on their values and traditions to their children (Wagner, 2010). It has been suggested that gay and lesbian couples should not become parents because they coul... ... middle of paper ... ...in parenting. Child development is not only affected by parental sexual orientation, but also the quality of the home environment and the ability of the parent to consistently meet the emotional, social and physical needs of the child (Paccione-Dyszlewski, 2008). Works Cited McCann, D., & Delmonte, H. (2005). Lesbian and gay parenting: babes in arms or babes in the woods?. Sexual & Relationship Therapy, 20(3), 333-347. doi:10.1080/14681990500141840 Paccione-Dyszlewski, M. (2008). Children of same gender parents: What is known. Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter, 24(2), 1-6. Patterson, C. J. (2006). Children of Lesbian and Gay Parents. Current Directions In Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell), 15(5), 241-244. doi:10.1111/j.1467- 8721.2006.00444.x Wagner, C. G. (2010). Homosexuality and Family Formation. Futurist, 44(3), 6-7.
Second parent adoption is an important tool utilized by same-sex couples in an effort to protect their parental rights in states where same sex marriage is not recognized. Although gay and lesbian paren...
This academic journal written by Timothy J. Biblarz and Judith Stacey is to attack the well-known idea of children needing both a mother and father role in their household. Biblarz is an associate professor of sociology and gender studies at the University of Southern California, while Stacey is also a professor of sociology at New York University, formerly working alongside Biblarz. Both are very passionate about gender, family, and sexuality studies, mainly emphasizing the effects of same-sex parenting. Stacey wrote the novel, Unhitched, which diminishes the popular belief about different gender parenting from her experiences. Biblarz and Stacey conduct a very detailed research study on both same-sex households, as well as heterosexual households to see what the similarities and differences are. Throughout this journal, the two conclude that children do not need a mother and father figure to function properly, as they are just as well off, if not better, with lesbian or gay parents.
The finding mean usually relies in the shadow of the fathers' absence. This could be changed if a father properly trains his son to be candid on his instilled values becoming a man. Therefore, it is not an uplifting question of why homosexuals occurs in the post-modern era. Genes may be related to the development of sexual orientation, recent studies shows that an increased choice of homosexuality in men whose mothers previously carried to many male children.
This study was conducted in the Netherlands. First, the authors studied the association between “parental characteristics” and “child-rearing” factors. Second, they examined the “child adjustment” in planned lesbian mothers families and in heterosexual parents families. 100 planned lesbian mothers families were recruited through the Medical Center for Birth Control, homosexual parenting experts, the Dutch advocate group for homosexuality, and advertisement in the lesbian magazine. Compatible 100 heterosexual parents families were recruited from two cities. Participants participated in various data collection methods such as questionnaires, observations (home-visit), and diaries. Data were collected in three main areas: “child adjustment (internalizing, externalizing, and problematic behaviors), parental characteristics (balance between work and family tasks, satisfaction with the partner as coparnet, degree of wanting child, child-rearing aims, and parental justification), and child rearing (emotional involvement, parental concern, power assertion, induction, supportive presence, respect for the child’s autonomy, structure, and limit-setting).”
Perrin, Ellen C., and Benjamin S. Siegel. "Promoting the Well-Being of Children Whose Parents Are Gay or Lesbian." Pediatrics 131.4 (2013): 1374-383. PDF file.
Same-sex relationships and same-sex adoption is extremely relevant today. Either on the news or newspaper articles we see same-sex couples file lawsuit against courts and adoption agencies for discriminating sexual preference. The “regular” same-sex couples along with the “Hollywood” same-sex couples are trying to earn acceptance for being LGBT. Lifelong adoption, an "A+" rating with the Better Business Bureau provides an aggressive nationwide advertising, marketing, and national outreach campaign, “estimated two million LGBT people are interested in adopting” (“LGBT Adoption”). In the state of California there is roughly “16,000 adopted children” living with same-sex parents/couples. (“LGBT Adoption”).
Whether a created family is from previous heterosexual relationships, artificial insemination, or adoption, it deserves the same legal rights heterosexual families enjoy. Full adoption rights needs to be legalized in all states to provide a stable family life for children because sexual orientation does not determine parenting skills, children placed with homosexual parents have better well-being than those in foster care, and there are thousands of children waiting for good homes. The argument sexual orientation interferes with ones parenting skills is common belief that Charlotte J. Patterson identifies as myth in her work, Lesbian and Gay Parents and their Children, suggesting the belief that “lesbians’ and gay men’s relationships with sexual partners leave little time for ongoing parent–child interactions.” In the Who is Mommy tonight? case study, how 18 lesbian adoptive parents, 49 lesbian parents who formed their families biologically, and 44 heterosexual adoptive parents experience and perceive their parenting role, how they respond when their children seek them or their partner for particular nurturing, and how the parents negotiate the cultural expectation of a primary caregiver (Ciano-Boyce & Shelley-Sireci, 2002) is looked at.
Homosexual orientation depends on the difficulties in the parent-child relationship, especially in the early, formative years of life. When the child suffers from an unmet attachment-need to the parent of the same-sex, the child seeks affection from a member of the same-sex. In the case of the son, the deficit in the relationship with the father is the one being compensated. This theory is what Dr. Elizabeth Moberly holds, John F. Harvey noted.
Entirely, gays and lesbians in the United States live under constant inspection and discernment. When it boils down to having a free and wholesome life, this classification is deprived of countless rights and unreasonably treated due to their sexuality. For this reason, coming out in itself is already a difficult step, than again where there are wives, husbands and children involved; it becomes a very delicate situation. “It is a process to accept a gay or lesbian parent and research shows that it is never too late for it to come out to children. While it may still be shocking, coming out to kids once they are grown up is a bit more difficult than coming out to young children and teenagers due to the fact that they are still in a developmental stage and have not had time enough to form their own opinions on ...
Traditionally, a family has been considered to consist of a heterosexual couple and their children, but many forms of family life exist in contemporary society. Homosexual people also form family units, either as single parents or as couples, with children, who are included in the family through a variety of circumstances. Many have children who were born in previous families (Johnson & Piore, 2004) and many have children who were born in a previous heterosexual marriages. A gay man or lesbian women or couple can enlist the help of a surrogate to have a baby while other homosexuals adopted or foster children (Sherman, 2002; Virtel, 2007).
There indicators of child developmental outcomes were categorized into parent and child relationship quality, children’s cognitive development, children’s gender role behavior, children’s gender identity, children’s sexual preference, and children’s social and emotional development. There analysis showed that children with same-sex parents fared equally to children raised by heterosexual parents when comparing developmental outcomes. Same-sex parents also reported a significantly better relationship with their children than heterosexual parents, which was measured by the parent or child perception of the quality of their relationship. This goes back to the argument that parent sexuality has no impact on the child but rather the relationship between the parent and the child has is the most impactful. In Crowl, Ahn and Baker (2008) meta-analysis study also found that the parent sexual orientation had no effect on gender identity, cognitive development, psychological adjustment, and sexual
The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System Report there were about 423,773 children in foster care in the United States only a couple of years ago (Watson). Each foster child in the system should have a chance at adoption so to deny gay couples the right to adopt is not only heartbreaking for both the child and the gay couple but also unconstitutional. A requirement of being a parent shouldn’t focus on a person’s sexual orientation; it’s not an aspect that should matter. The main things to look for when evaluating a person’s worth as a parent should be whether the person is caring, devoted, and stable. An example is Jon Campbell and Danny Stewart, found a recently-born baby on a subway and adopted the baby, thinking that it might be their only chance in adopting a child. Another example of how much gay couples value having children is shown by Bircher, a 44-year-old hair salon owner, when he said, "Our prisons are full of people who were in foster care, and those people were in, quote unquote, straight family homes, if I can provide a loving, stable home for my little boy, that 's the goal" (Watson). These articles show how much gay couples value having children and it shows that they could great parents, despite irrational arguments against them
Even though some people believe gay parents can raise children equally like hetrosexual parents, gay parents do not have the mother and father figure children yearn for. Although this may be true in the Same sex adoption is not a game article it states “ numerous reports indicate that infants and toddlers prefer mothers to fathers when they are hungry,afraid or sick... . Fathers excel when it comes to providing discipline, play and challenging children to embrace life’s challenges” (Fitzgibbons). A gay couples of two men can not assist a girl with her menstrual cycle, learning how to be a women and emotionally relate to them like a women will. A gay couple of two women can not teach a boy to be a man or relate to them emotionally or physically.
No matter how we treat homosexuals or same sex couples, children living with parents of the same sex, have now become daily realities for us. However in the past 10-15 years only several countries allow same-sex couples to adopt children, while most jurisdictions prohibit them from doing so. The United States was a first country in the word that allowed LG (stands for lesbian and gay) couples to adobe children in 1993, under certain circumstances. Although same-sex marriages were first made legal in the U.S. in Massachusetts in 2003 (Human Rights Watch). In the article by Istar Lev, the author mentions that there are more and more children that live in LG families, according to the U.S. census in 2000, one third of lesbian-headed couples and one fifth of gay-headed couples were raising
Adopting children in that environment would lack both mother and father figure in their life. For example, “Children without a father figure would have higher risks of early sexual activity and teen pregnancy; however, children without a mother figure deprive emotional security and unique advice that mothers provide (Pro Con).” The question is raised, should adopted children be reared and educated into a lifestyle that isn’t natural before they are old enough to understand the discrepancies? Young children that grow up in same-sex marriage environment may experience confusion and embarrassment in public surroundings; likewise, young adults and teenagers who have family members or who are personally members of the LGBT community may experience embarrassment and unusual social pressure. Children in a stable family with both mother and father figure would provide the best environment for them to mature and be responsible. Some same-sex family dynamics are from previous heterosexual marriages; therefore, this could affect the relationship between children and the immediate family members. Being part of the LGBT community could influence immediate and extended family on whether they accept or reject their relationship to the