Growing Up With Gay Parents Affect Childhood Development

Younger children usually have an easier time adjusting to a gay and lesbian parented home. They haven’t learned the social biases against gays and lesbians yet.” (Nighlad).

The gay personality may be determined during a child’s early years of development or throughout the individual’s life. A lesbian or gay individual like heterosexual individuals are influenced by family, peers, and society. Family structure, social factors, and cognition and conditioning help the development of sexual identity (Kwiatkowski, 2010). The child while living with the parents, adopt many of the customs and values the parents emphasize. The parents may stress the importance of gender roles in the household which the child may learn to

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

“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.

It can be very difficult for LGBTQ children to be open about their sexuality or gender orientation, especially if they do not receive support from the ones who are supposed to love them no matter what. Parents positively influence the health of their LGBTQ children by providing support an encouragement. Children should be able to talk to their parents about their issues and receive beneficial advice and support. Parents’ influence on the health of lesbian, gay, and bisexual teens: What parents and families should know explained that parents who support their LGBTQ children decrease the risk of the children becoming depressed, abusing drugs or alcohol, and committing suicide(Centers for Disease Control). Therefore, I believe that parents of LGBTQ youth can have a significant impact on the health of their children. As a country, we must encourage each other to accept people for who they are. It is imperative that this acceptance beings in the home and at

. So now the real question emerges: Is parental guidance by two parents of thesame sex really more harmful to a child¶s development than no parental guidance at all? In someminds the answer ³NO´ flashes in bright, blinking lights however, there are many, including themajority of Americans, who disagree. Laws banning adoption by gay and lesbian couples exist

The main concern that homosexual parents worry about is their child or children being teased, or hiding facts about their parents to avoid being bullied (Meezan 103). I recently read an article from ABC News and in the article a married homosexual couple was shocked that they are not allowed to adopt a child. They were told that in order to adopt only one parent can be listed on the birth certificate. They feel that the laws that are aimed at the adults are hurting the children who really need homes (James).

There are studies showing that kids raised by straight parents are more successful in life than those raised by gay parents. A 2012 study by Mark Regnerus (Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas) found that children raised by gay

Gay parents are facing discrimination because of their sexual orientation. Twenty-two states currently allow single gays to adopt and 21 states currently allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt in the U.S. (Mallon, 2007, p. 6). The ability of gay couples to rear a child should not be denied only because they are gay. Homosexuals may be looked down upon by society, but they still are humans and have morals. These morals they possess, may influence a child more than those morals taught to a child with heterosexual parents. All over the world, children suffer in families consisting of alcoholics, drug abusers, and sexual abusers (Powell, 2007, p.1). It is not possible that these environments are safer than what would be provided by homosexual

This body of literature proves the sexual orientation of parents does not effect their kids sexual orientation. These studies have their strengths, but also they have their weaknesses. There are three main concerns and limitations of this body of research as a whole. One, all this data is primarily based on middle to upper class white people. The study of the 27 lesbian, 29 gay, and 50 heterosexual that had parents and caretakers fill our inventories was 85% white, and the mean income was 160K (Farr et al., 2010). The Golombok and Tasker (1996) longitudinal study of children from lesbian mothers had sample that was 91% white, only 4 non-whites were in the study. Furthermore, the study focused on the romantic relationships and sexual behavior

Throughout history a one-parent household has been deemed as a nontraditional family, but in today’s society it seems more and more common with every day. Although the reason and causes vary, each year the number of children raised by a single parent increases. Most people don’t seem to realize how much this can change a child’s future. The impact of childhood experiences simply set the disposition of adulthood and the rest of their lives. There is not one sole factor that affects child development, but one very important one is the role and relationship created with one’s parents. How a child is parented and raised leaves a lasting impression on them, commonly for a

One of the most important thing for children is to have a loving and supporting home. Having a loving and supportive home can come from same-sex couple or heterosexual couples. According to the article Overview of gay and lesbian parenting, adoption and foster care by American Civil Liberties “Good parenting is not influenced by sexual orientation. Rather, it is influenced most profoundly by a parent's ability to create a loving and nurturing home -- an ability that does not depend on whether a parent is gay or straight.” This just shows how important it is for kids to

Same-sex marriages have different laws that pertain to different countries. For example, in Canada, same-sex marriage is legal however in certain states in the US, it is prohibited. Instead of focusing on the legality of same-sex marriage, this paper will focus on the emotional and social development of children in lesbian-mother families and the quality of the relationship between the mother and the child. It will also focus on the social and academic effects same-sex couples have on children. Same sex relationships do not cause a child to question their sexual identity nor does the quality of the relationship between the mothers an child from a same sex relationship differ from children from a heterosexual family.

In the article “Gay Parenting is Harmful” by George Dent has many excellent points on why gay parenting is harmful. One claim that George makes is that it could confuse the child and his sexual orientation because when the kid sees same sex parents according to Diana Baumrind a researcher stated that the kids are more to have sexualization at a younger age. Another point that George makes is that homosexual parents are not as strong as heterosexual parents are because George believes that a man in woman have a stronger relationship because it has the father figure to show the child how much he cares about his wife, so the child can see how much a man and women can love and care for each other. George goes on saying that “homosexuals are less inclined than heterosexuals to marry, and gays who do marry have a high divorce rate." George follows this up with the clam that gay parents more males then females marry at a later age then heterosexual couples because they are not into a committed relationship that “normal couples” are and

In addition, same-sex marriages also can affect those who are raised by them as children. It was exposed that children raised by homosexual couples did worse than the offspring of heterosexual couples in nine of