And Tango Makes Three

The topic of homosexual marriages, or the marrying of two people of the same sex, is rather disputed among the majority of people in today’s society. Only small amounts of the population have opinions that are strongly favoring one side of the debate. For most of society who are the middle-of-the-road citizens, it is a tough call to make one way or the other. The main topics that are disputed are raising children in a same-sex household, the capacity of churches to allow such a marriage, and the integrity of a marriage as a legal document. These arguments will be expressed through the viewpoints of Andrew Sullivan and William Bennett. Sullivan is the author of the essay “Let Gays Marry” which was printed by Newsweek in June of 1996.

The purpose of this essay is to give a clear understanding of gay and lesbian families. This essay will discuss relative information and problems of this client group focusing on the demographic, history, polices, issues faced by the group as well as relevant support groups and programs available. This essay will discuss these topics by drawing on existing published scholarly literature and relevant, credible published sources. The second part of this essay will be a reflection of an event that relates to the LGBTIQA Community. This reflection will discuss the event as well as thoughts and feeling of a participant in the event. For the purpose of this essay Gay and lesbian will be defined as “A person who is attracted primarily to members of the same sex. Although it can be used for any sex e.g. gay man, gay woman, gay person, “lesbian” is sometimes the preferred term for women who are attracted to women.” ("LGBT Terms and Definitions | International Spectrum", 2016).

We have all seen the classic television scene, where a happy family consisting of one mother, one father, and two children is hovered around a table or a couch. Although still prominent, this scene is becoming less common nowadays as more families become non-traditional. More families than ever are consisting of one mother and children, one father and children, grandparents and children, and even two mothers or two fathers and children. These households, although not what most people consider a normal household, are becoming more common and regular in today’s society. Homosexual parents and families are indeed different from more traditional families, but not for the worse. This trend is not increasing

Same-sex parenting is taken both in positive and negative sense but even then it is regarded more as a family issue. There is a concept that where lives a same-sex couples, there must be children raised by them. Then it comes to mind that which sort of children? Such children may be divided into three groups: (Kurtz, 2004)

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

Over the years, the issue of family values has evolved from the conservative view of distinct gender roles to the prevailing situation where men and women have equal rights. The most notable change from the traditional to the modern values of the family has been the issue of gay marriages. Whereas it was a taboo for gay couples to declare their relationship status openly in public, today the situation is different as is evident with the two texts under discussions. The story titled An American Childhood by Annie Dillard depicts gender roles in the 1950s America while the article by Andrew Sullivan titled “Why Gay Marriages are Good for Straight America” expounds on the issue of gay rights and freedom of modern day America.

The conception that lesbians and gay men may be parents is frequently perceived in today 's society as impossible or immoral. Gay men and lesbians are often viewed as excluded from having children because sexual reproduction is related to men and women couples only. My approach to this uniquely controversial topic of gay parenting will be that of attempting to analyze the pro side. Gays and lesbians are human too and who is to say that they don 't deserve equal rights in society. Society has to realize that the modern family has developed into many different forms in recent years in that the traditional "nuclear family" is not necessarily the

Children being raised by same-sex couples is not uncommon and not different compared to different-sex couples. The only difference between childhood development with same-sex parents, as opposed to different-sex parents, is that more same-sex households have to deal with the biological parents of the child (“Same-Sex” 1). The child’s development is not altered by the gender of the parents but by society shaming their family and the biological parents metaling in the child’s

In today’s society, the topic of same sex relationships is highly debated; with the issue that is of most concern being the social and emotional wellbeing of children who are raised in same sex relationships. “How might a child’s general well-being be affected by these primary caregivers versus have a more traditional family?”(Journalist Reference, 2015) is one of the many questions being asked as a part of this debate. This study meets the ‘Socio Cultural’ Area Of Study because it is investigating the social and emotional wellbeing of a child and the family structure in which they are in.

In conclusion, in this book we can obtain a variety of stories from different authors. Most of the writers try to show to all the readers with examples how life really is. The author

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,

The two texts examined within, present the opposing extremes of views regarding gay and lesbian marriage. The first text entitled Let Gays Marry by Andrew Sullivan examines the intricacies of same sex relationships and why homosexual couples should be allowed to publicly show affection for one another. The second text that will be examined is titled Leave Marriage Alone written by William Bennett. Bennett gives his views on why couples of same sex nature should not be allowed to engage in marital relations. These two authors, although very different, each has a view of the ideals of marriage, and how it should be presented to the public.

Within our society and the western hemisphere, it is believed that only a man and a woman should be allowed to participate in the sacred ritual of marriage. These beliefs are instilled through the socialization of society and family. Our society illustrates marriage through the media. Our family illustrates marriage by first hand experience. In a traditional family, we perceive a man and a woman as our parents. Traditionally, people marry with the expectation that reproduction will occur, and one will grow old along side of children, and grandchildren. There is an image to marriage, and the thought of altering that to include same sex unions is disturbing to many.

According to CBC news, Canada, “Bill C-38, the law giving same-sex couples the legal right to marry, receives royal assent and becomes law.” (NewsCBC, 2012) Same sex marriage is legalized by the law and lots of people follow this law as they marry. It is important to teach students that there are different families: like two mothers and two fathers related to different backgrounds. In The Star, it says, “They’re still a small minority,but today’s toddlers and preschoolers being rasied by two moms and dads are much more likely to see families like theirs in playgrounds and classrooms.” (GordonAndrea, 2013) It is important to teach and make students understand personal differences on the topic. Lots of students have two moms or dads, instead of one mom and dad. The number of these students is growing. Now, it is the time to teach students about a new concept of marriage as giving the examples of different family backgrounds like two moms or dads. Having two mothers and fathers is not the problem or consideration when they have the relationship with them. When students make new friends, they should not care about their sexuality or family

Homosexuality in general seems to be more accepted than a few decades ago. However, despite the progress the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) civil right movement has had in recent times, there are still great debates and consequences for the gay community (Slenders, Sieben & Verbakel, 2014). Moreover, a sensitive issue concerning gay marriage and allowing same-sex parenting children evokes great controversies. Thus, qualitative research methods such as interviews, ethnography or focus groups can be appropriate in this area in order to gain insights of people’s opinion such as gay or lesbian parents. Is there a difference in same-sex parenting? Does parental sexual orientation affect child development? This essay will illustrate how qualitative methods can be useful in gathering information, opinions and attitudes of gay couples towards same-sex parenting. This essay will outline two qualitative methods according to this issue and critically evaluate which of the two qualitative methods (ethnography or interviews) could be appropriate in approaching this social issue. In conclusion, the essay will explain why ethnography is a more suitable approach to this topic rather than interview approach.