Outcomes for Children of Gay and Lesbian Parents

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Recommended: Negative effects on children with same sex parents

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. In order to understand the differences in heterosexual and homosexual households, it is important to understand what same-sex couples go through to start a family and the children they usually adopt. Gay and lesbian parents have multiple ways to start a family. Significant amounts of data are provided for couples that have adopted, as well as for lesbian mothers who have used donor insemination to have a child. General data from these types of households “indicates that children at all stages of development from these households are similar to their peers raised in heterosexual households with regard to... ... middle of paper ... ... 2014. Linville, Deanna, and Maya O’Neil. “Same-sex Parents and Their Children.” American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.https://www.aamft.org/>. Patterson, Charlotte J.. "Children of Lesbian and Gay Parents: Psychology, Law, and Policy." American Psychologist 64.8 (2009): 727-734. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. Rosenfeld, Michael J., “Nontraditional Families and Childhood Progress Through School.” Demography 47.3 (2010): 755-775. JSTOR. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. Stacey, Judith, and Timothy J. Biblarz. “(How) Does the Sexual Orientation of Parents Matter?” American Sociological Review 66.2 (2001): 159- 183. JSTOR. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. Wardle, Lynn D. “The Potential Impact of Homosexual Parenting on Children.” University of Illinois Law Review 833 (1997): 1-82. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. .

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