For generations, homosexuality has been repelled against and condemned. Homosexuality is not normal, according to certain traditions and religions. Homosexuality is to be frowned upon and recognized as demons and sin-natured. In modern times, homosexuality has become a lifestyle and a relationship for more and more people with each passing moment. Although homosexual marriage is not allowed in some states, the anatomy of the person, whether male or female, hardly allows them to reproduce without sperm or ovaries. Since gays are not capable of reproducing, then adoption is their next option or sperm donors. The big controversy is whether or not homosexuals should be allowed to adopt children or whether the “step-parent,” which is actually the co-partner, can adopt the birth mother’s child. Adoption is another route for the children who were abandoned, were not financially stable, or were not able to stay in their current living condition. When one and one is put together equaling two, the two makes better sense and fits for everyone. Why not let gay couples that have the obvious issue of reproducing get the chance to have children and a family? Therefore, homosexuals should be allowed raise and adopt orphaned children or the children of their co-partner/spouse. In the world, a story or an issue will always have two opposing sides or viewpoints. Many people are for homosexual adoption and many are not. Those who are against gay parenting, say it is demoralizing family values, and that a family who has two same sex parents or a homosexual single parent cannot possibly know what it means to be a family. As hypocritical as all people are, the criticizers of gay parenting do not realize that heterosexuals are currently struggling with... ... middle of paper ... ...sing Viewpoints. Rpt. From “Hey Conservatives—Gays are Better Parents than You.” AlterNet.org. 2010. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. “Gay Parenting.” Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. “Graph: Gay Households with Children.” Discrimination. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Geeenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. Jayson, Sharon. “How will same-sex marriage rulings affect children?” USA Today 27 June 2013: 04D. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. Pappas, Stephanie. “Same-Sex Parenting Is Beneficial.” Parenting. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. From “Why Gay Parents May Be the Best Parents.” LiveScience.com. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Meezan, William and Jonathan Rauch. "Gay Marriage, Same-Sex Parenting,and America's Children." Marriage and Child Wellbeing 15 (2005): 2.
While many people have different perspectives to whether gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to adopt children, we have to keep in mind that it’s not all about what society says and what they think. It’s about the personal life of the child that will be affected. As humans we have grown up knowing that a family consists of a mother and a father, not both of the same sexes. That being said every child should have the privilege to have both a mother and father like everyone else. In “Growing up with Gay Parents” the 3 year old son of Jen Bleakley and Nina Jacobson asked his lesbian mothers if he had a father. It shouldn’t be like that, yes a mother can step in and try to take the fatherly image but never will it be the same, to the little boy who sees other boys out and about with their fathers. In t...
There has been many strides made in the fight for gay marriage as of lately and it is not as opposed as it was before. However, when it comes to same sex parenting many still have some form of resistance. In today’s society it should be irrelevant to have the typical 1950’s type family. With the divorce rate being fifty percent there is a good amount of men and women who are single parents. The traditional American view on parenting is outdated and same-sex couples should be able to adopt as equally as heterosexual couples. Regardless of the religious affiliation of the company.
One of the many issues that homophobic people have against homosexuals is that being brought up in an “untraditional” home is not good for the children. There have...
Homosexual couples should be granted the same freedom to adopt children like heterosexual couples because there are so many children in the foster care who need a nurturing home; it is narrow-minded to think that only heterosexual couples have the capability of raising a child properly; and it is prejudice to exclude homosexuals from adopting a child based on their sexuality. A parent-child relationship may be one of the most sacred and cherished gifts in life but it is also a privilege. The main purpose of adoption is not just for the satisfaction of a couple, regardless of their sexuality—ultimately, it is for the well-being of the adopted child.
In recent years, same-sex relationships have become more encompassing in US society. State legislation is changing such as accepting gay marriages, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and legal gay adoptions; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community is becoming public. Gay-headed families, like heterosexuals, are diverse and varying in different forms. Whether a created family is from previous heterosexual relationships, artificial insemination, or adoption, it deserves the same legal rights heterosexual families enjoy. Full adoption rights needs to be legalized in all states to provide a stable family life for children because sexual orientation does not determine parenting skills, children placed with homosexual parents have better well-being than those in foster care, and there are thousands of children waiting for good homes.
Many of the children parented by lesbians and gay men were born to them when they were in a heterosexual relationship or marriage. Often, when the child’s non-gay parent discovers the sexual identity of the other parent, he or she may attempt to limit their parenting roles. Other challenges have been brought upon by other relatives or government agencies, thus causing prejudice towards gay and lesbian parents and denying custody and visitation rights (Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, 1997-2002).
Winn, P. (2003). Q&A: why not same-sex marriage. Citizen Link. Retrieved April 25, 2004, from http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0028908.cfm
Goldberg, N. (2010). Gay families and the court: The quest for equal rights. Journal of Family
The idea that lesbians and gay men may be parents is often perceived as impossible or immoral. Gay men and lesbians are often excluded from having children because sexual reproduction is related to men and women only. My approach to this controversial topic of gay parenting will be that of attempting to analyze the Pro side first. Gays and lesbians deserve equal rights in our society. Society has to realize that the modern family has transformed into many different forms in recent years in that the "nuclear family" is not necessarily the best.
Homosexuality is becoming more and more accepted and integrated into today’s society, however, when it comes to homosexuals establishing families, a problem is posed. In most states, homosexuals can adopt children like any other married or single adult. There are many arguments to this controversial topic; some people believe that it should be legal nationally, while others would prefer that is was banned everywhere, or at least in their individual states. There are logical reasons to allow gays to adopt children, but for some, these reasons are not enough. The main issue really is, what is in the best interest of the child? This type of problem isn’t really one with causes, effects, and solutions, but one with pros and cons. Like any other adoption situation, a parent prove themselves to be responsible and capable enough to raise a child on their own, or with a spouse.
Children of gay and lesbian parents have the same potential as other children despite living in a nontraditional household, a growing trend in America. Same-sex parented families face many struggles such as discrimination based on sexual orientation of the parents. Individuals who do not support same-sex marriage or same-sex parenting believe that the child will not be raised in a stable household. Multiple studies have confirmed that a parent’s sexual orientation does not heavily influence a child’s performance in school or their social behavior. While some individuals believe a male “father” and female “mother” are needed in the household to provide the best environment to raise a child, there is no empirical evidence that shows children with same-sex parents are raised in an unhealthy environment. Stereotypical, traditional households are not the standard anymore, so individuals must accept that children can develop in nontraditional households normally. The children of same-sex couples, although raised in different households from their heterosexual counterparts, excel just as easily in the social and academic spheres of life.
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 and more gay couples want to adopt a child. Unfortunately, today that process to adopt is very difficult to accomplish, more so than a heterosexual couples. Why is that you wonder? It seems as if every time a poll is taken, the majority is for gay marriage in general and steadily growing in favor of it; however, the United States continues to change every single day morally and ethically which seems endless. Today, approximately one in five male same sex couples and one in three female same sex couples are raising children. That is an increase from one in five female, and one in twenty male couples in 1990 (Belkin). Some of the major issues about not letting gay couples adopt include that can be argued are, children of same-sex parents are not markedly different from those of heterosexual parents, gay couples supposedly don’t have the opposite sex as role models, and they force their views upon their children.
Gay and lesbian families deal with a great amount of controversy from people all over the world. Although it is starting to be viewed differently as times and laws change, people wonder what the effects of having same sex parents have on the children being raised in that household. To better understand how gay and lesbian families are viewed in society, it is important to look at the history behind the gay rights movements, and studies aimed at the development of children who are growing up in a same-sex household.
Since the 1970s, studies on the effect of same-sex parenting on children have been conducted in the United States. Sociological debates have occurred from the idea of allowing same-sex couples to parent. Some groups feel that allowing this would undermine the traditional ideology of marriage and skew the perception of gender roles for their children. Sociologists continue to produce empirical research that studies samples of the approximately 125,000 same-sex couples raising nearly 220,000 children and comparing their roles as parents and the adult personalities of their children to children raised by heterosexual couples. Current scientific research comparing the outcomes of children raised by gay or lesbian parents with children of heterosexual parents consistently shows that same-sex parents are just as capable of raising “psychologically healthy and well-adjusted” children as heterosexual parents. Research comparing children raised by same-sex couples and heterosexual couples found no differences in the adjustment or mental health of these children as adults.