The Invisible Diversity Of Families With Same-Sex Parents In The United States

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Throughout history people have defined a traditional family dynamic as containing a female mother figure, a male father figure, and the possible children of the household. Societal development has allowed expansion of the definition to include same sex, gay, and transsexual households. Much controversy and opposition has erupted over the change in the family model. Opinions of the public, dictated social norms, and attitudes of existing family members can make life for a LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender) family structure difficult. These biases and discriminations can be direct or indirect. The child or children raised in these households are subject to the same ridicule. One question still of debate is, are there negative effects to a child or children raised in these households?
A statistic presented in the article "The Mamas And The Papas: The Invisible Diversity Of Families With Same-Sex Parents In The United States", by Lucy Rimalower* and Caren Caty states that, “According to the US Census Bureau (2000), eight to ten million children are being raised in households …show more content…

Misunderstanding and public perception, make many same sex parental units hesitant, and at times fearful, to disclose their family structure to the child’s school system or to live openly amongst their peers. LGBT parents that live in strong predominately gay communities are shown to be more confident and open regarding their lifestyle compared to others in communities where conservative values are expressed. Additionally, Rimalower and Caty cite, “Litovich and Langhout (2004) contend that while these children start school feeling proud of their families, negativity and disapproval lead them to become silent, necessitating that parents prepare their children for heterosexism and homophobia, from peers and teachers

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