Social and Legal Obstacles of Gay and Lesbian Parenting Essay

“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.

Gay adoption and parenting are one of the sexual orientation issues affecting the society today. It involves two men who adopt children and raise them as their kids. There are various ways of adopting children, including agency adoption, independent adoptions and the identified adoptions (Golombok et al., 458). After adoption, children are brought up with the parents of the same sex. For gay adoption, it involves both male parents (Goldberg, Jordan, and April, 168). Different challenges are, therefore, faced by such families, including prejudice and discrimination and lack of both maternal and paternal support. Therefore, gay adoption and parenting is an issue that has affected children and family and interventions such as education on how the act has a negative effect on the well-being of the children need to be put in place.

The issues that arise in lesbian- and gay-parented families are a function of two things: One is the rich variety of family constellations they comprise, and the other is the fact that they are living in a society which does not yet value rich variety. The tension created by this situation generates unique needs for the approximately 5 million gay and lesbian parents in this country whenever they present themselves to the legal system, the educational system, the mental health profession, religious organizations, the medical profession, or the insurance industry just named a few.

Many states laws deny children in foster care, healthy, loving homes simply because of a potential parent’s sexual orientation (Gray, 2006), The catholic church as well as other organization’s oppose gay adoption based upon religious teachings, while others debate the legality of it (Gray, 2006). In today’s society, many children grow up to be emotionally stable and successful whether they have a heterosexual couple as parents or a same sex couple as parents. Gay parent adoptions are an equal right, as they are becoming more mainstream and are as equally stable as heterosexual adoptions.

Homosexuality is a topic that has gained much interest in the past few decades. It seems as each year passes, more and more acceptance of this lifestyle come into light. However, when it comes to homosexuals wanting to create a family, a problem is created. In some states homosexuality is accepted and embraced, which enables this group to adopt a child as if they were heterosexual. There are many levels of argument to this topic to be addressed. Some believe that gay adoption should be legalized nation-wide, while others believe it should be banned everywhere. There are some strong opinions as to why this

One of the most controversial issues surrounding American today is allowing same-sex couples to adopt a child. Over the last decade, America has seen a frequent number of people “come out” in their lives. Because of this, we have seen more

U.S. Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal however not everywhere Some States still limits adoption to only husband and wife.

Legalizing LGBT Families: How The Law Shapes Parenthood is a book that portrays what it’s like to be an LGBT parent in the United States of America. This book showcases the livelihood of what some LGBT citizens face when wanting to start a family. This book does an excellent job of presenting LGBT parents and what they go through to fight for equal rights when it comes to raising a family. This book includes over 100 in-depth interviews with LGBT citizens that demonstrate how the law plays a significant role in decision-making about how the family will be organized and parenting decisions. Most of the research that was done for this book was done to portray gay family life and family diversity, or to contest or approve the stereotype.

A controversial factor in our society today is the social perspective and the social meaning of same-sex adoption. Many Americans are becoming more aware in the realization that all people in society are different in various ways. Different in values, beliefs, customs, sexual identity and sexual orientation. There are a substantial amount of children waiting to be adopted, but adoption agencies limit the right to gays and lesbians, as well as families of same-sex partners. Families wanting to adopt a child should not be turned away because of the sexual orientation of one being used as a judgment for adopting children in

Skeptics of gay and lesbian parents also raise the concern that the children of same sex couples would be subject to stigma from society. They argue that gay parents should not be granted custody rights because their children would be subject to unnecessary ridicule by their peers. In short, their position is that children should not be placed into harsh conditions simply due to their parents’ “sexual behavior.”

     The question is raised as to whether a child needs a mother and father role model. Conservatives say ‘yes,’ but all of the research that they have acquired is based “fellow conservative groups.” (Neff 2004). “Nearly 50 studies show there are no significant developmental differences between the children of gay parents and the children of straight parents.” (Neff 2004). In fact, gay parenting is supported by many psychological organizations like the National Association of Social Workers and the American Psychological Association. Children tend not to be confused by their gender role. In a study, research showed that 20 of 21 children correctly identified a favorite toy consistent with their gender. (Patterson, 1992). There is no more male hormone in a lesbian than in a heterosexual female. This was proven by a study done with 12 heterosexually parented children and 12 homosexually parented children. The study showed that the children “did not differ in masculinity or androgyny.”

Homosexuality- defined as being sexually attracted to one’s own gender- has incessantly been a compelling social issue. A majority of society sees the ‘wrong’ sexual orientation as evil or unhuman, regardless of character content. In April 1952, the American Psychiatric Association even labeled homosexuality as a mental disorder. Today, same sex relationships have been normalized and live life as ordinary people, yet treated as second-class citizens. This treatment by society has significantly limited the basic human rights of these individuals, including parenthood. Should LGBTQ+ be able to adopt children? Do gay parents and guardians effect children negatively?

Gay and lesbian families are more growing than people think. There are many more gay and lesbian partners and they are starting families. Gay men and women can have children by adoption, co-parenting arrangements (between lesbians & male gay couples), donor fertilization, and surrogacy. “Today, more and more gay and lesbian couples are becoming parents, whether through artificial insemination, a surrogate or LGBT adoption. LifeLong Adoptions caters to heterosexual couples, single parents and gay & lesbian families” (lifelong adoption).

In America, every state is legally obligated to allow LGBT adoption. Even if this is the case, that doesn’t mean there aren’t exceptions to the rules. For example, only fourteen states and Washington D.C. allow second parent adoption. Second parent adoption is where a same sex couple can adopt without being legally married yet. Due to these bans against second parent adoption in place, there are more children being raised in straight single parent households than raised by unmarried gay couples in the United States. There are also less children raised in married LGBT households than in single straight parent households (“LGBT Adoption”). Adoption agencies generally want children to live with a married couple, yet gay couples are still discriminated against compared to single straight

In the United States, every child has the right to develop healthily, and with the ever growing number of kids without a family to look after them, they deserve to receive a warm welcome by whoever would accept them as their own. Foster care children in particular already struggle greatly due to loss and trauma. In more awful circumstances, vast amounts of youth will age out of the foster care system and fall into the risk of becoming jobless or homeless. This information in mind should be enough to make changes accordingly in order to prevent such consequences. The thousands of children waiting to be adopted have raised an argument among the public about whether same-sex couples should have the same adoption rights as straight couples. Progressive change has already been achieved with the legalization of same-sex adoption throughout all 50 states, but many still oppose the ruling and restrictions exist in some areas when it comes to fostering. For this nation to truly stand for social equality and provide for its youth, a parent’s sexuality should not have be a determining factor in the adoption process.