Imagine being told, by law, you couldn’t have a family of your own because of lifestyle choices. There are 251,695 same-sex married couples in the United States, as of 2013, that had to deal with difficulties while building their family that would never be faced by a hetrosexual couple. Stereotypes and false research have hindered same-sex couples all over the United States by putting doubt into the minds of many powerful politicians who create laws on what a family should be. The false fear that our future children will end up “lesser” than the high standards we already hold them to, causes people to create laws that will theoretically protect children. The lack of their research and insensitivity has created this war between same-sex families …show more content…
Initial qualitative studies suggested that this might be the case. In a 1999 study of 76 children of lesbian mothers aged 11-18 years, Gershon, Tschann, and Jemerin found that adolescents who were exposed to more stigma about their mother’s sexual orientation had lower self esteem. A study found that 80% of the lesbian mothers that had been interviewed considered homophobia and the stigma of being a lesbian couple raising children kept them from being perceived as a “real” family. Social stigmatization and social homophobia has been considered a real and prominent concern for parents and researchers since the early 1990s and has even been used to demonstrate how a homosexual parent might be unfit to raise a child in custody battles between formerly heterosexual couples. Researchers have been quick to explore the claim that social stigmatization due to the parent’s sexual orientation might result in an unfit environment to raise a child. The studies often involved participants who were in the middle of adolescence and were unable to objectively reflect on how their personal experiences might compare to the experiences of children of …show more content…
These young adults suggested that they may have employed various strategies to keep their non-conventional family a secret during their early adolescence before developing alternative strategies of disclosure with time. The suggestions proposed by these young adults succinctly describe how the social stigmatization of non-conventional family identity might indirectly affect the development of adolescent children raised by lesbian or gay parents. The development of strategies used to confront this social stigmatization and the later subjective analysis of how those strategies were implemented has overwhelming implications for the opponents of gay and lesbian parents. This research has implications for larger policies regarding lesbian and gay parents within the justice system where parents have been denied custody on the grounds of unfit parenting and subjection to social stigma as well as within the school system where children of lesbian and gay parents might face the greatest social stigmatization. These studies demonstrate that homosexual parents do not directly affect their children’s development and the negative
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).
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
All families face challenges in their everyday life. For some, the challenges are easier to handle while for others, surmounting those challenges can be more difficult. Over the years, the LGBT community in the US has faced many hurdles. Whether it’s the legalization of same-sex marriage to adoption rights to alimony, child support and child custody in case of divorce, legislation specific to gay and lesbian couples still has a long way to go.
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)
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
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,
“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.
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
Researchers MacCallum and Golombok (2004) argued that results from previous studies focusing on the loss of a father could not be generalized to children who grew up in households without a father from birth. This is where lesbian mothers and single mothers come into their research, because these families did not necessarily have an absentee father due to family disruption or realignment. For example, lesbians have used assisted conception and/or adoption. In earlier times, lesbian mothers weren’t always allowed these options. Many often lost their children due to the belief that children of homosexuals would have psychological and developmental problems, and at the time, many believed the children of homosexuals would be ostracized,
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
Weeks, Jefferey, Brian Heaphy and Catherine Donovan. “The Lesbian and Gay Family. The Blackwell Companion to the Sociology of Families. Scott, Jacqueline et al. Eds., Blackwell Publishing, 2004, pp.340-355.
Opponents of legalizing gay marriage claim homosexuality is against natural order and view marriage as a sacred pact between a man and a woman. In their eyes, it will ruin the traditional institution of marriage. In 1971, the Supreme Court decided that “the institution of marriage as a union [was] of man and woman” in the Baker v. Nelson case (“Gay” 2). The United States government has defined marriage as such. Allowing homosexuals to marry will redefine the very foundation that Americans thrive on. And whose to say it will end with gays being allowed to wed? The entire process will lead down a slippery slope of allowing polygamous, incestuous, bestial, and other nontraditional relationships being able to marry (“Gay” 2). In addition, marriage is for the sake of procreation and children are negatively affected in a queer environment. The statistics speak for themselves. Children raised by gay couples constantly lack either a father or a mother figure and are thus 12% more likely to engage in homosexuality and promiscuity (Roleff 87). Kids can never identify with their own gender or have an opposite gender role model in a homosexual atmosphere. We need the future generation to grow up in the
The political aspects of whether same-sex couples should be allowed to federal and government recognized marriages are a very complex issue. There are basically two sides to the political argument of whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. On one side are the liberals who feel that marriage is a civil right that should be denied based on the basis of a person's sexual orientation. On the other side you have conservatives who feel that marriage is an institution in which should only constitute one man and one woman. In this report we are going to examine how the issue of same-sex marriages are affecting our current political environment, how politics is affecting the movement for
Over the past two decades, the impact of gender role stereotyping on our society has been examined in numerous studies. The purpose of these studies was to determine whether the sex bias portrayed in books, TV shows and social media is still as prevalent as in the past. Modern Family is one of the TV shows that clearly prove that, the roles played by males and females have changed in by the time. Modern Family show is about a family that tackles normal, everyday problems. The show features three combined families Jay and Gloria, Phil and Claire, Mitchell and Cameron and how different genders in each family act. Because of gender stereotype issues like gay marriage, house wives and large difference in age between married couples, this show focused on challenging these stereotypes and solving such conflict in our society.
The social science research that is routinely repeated does not actually speak on the subject questions of whether or not children need both a mother and a father at home. Instead proponents generally cite research that compares [heterosexual two-parent] families with single parents, this conflates the number with the gender of parents," the authors write. Indeed, there are far more similarities than differences among children of lesbian and heterosexual parents, according to the study. On average, two mothers tended to play with their children more, were less likely to use physical discipline, and were less likely to raise children with chauvinistic attitudes. Studies of gay male families are still limited. However, like two heterosexual parents, new parenthood among lesbians increased stress and conflict, exacerbated by general lack of legal recognition of commitment. Also, lesbian biological mothers typically assumed greater caregiving responsibility than their partners, reflecting inequities among heterosexual couples.