| Revision as of 18:29, 29 July 2009 editDestinero (talk | contribs)1,490 edits Undid revision 304768811 by Tobit2 (talk); see Talk Page - no reason to remove things directly connected with well-being of children← Previous edit | Revision as of 18:33, 29 July 2009 edit undoDestinero (talk | contribs)1,490 edits Undid revision 304768636 by Tobit2 (talk); one referenced sentence isn't plagiarism; don't change the meaning!Next edit → | ||
| Line 42: | Line 42: | ||
| In 2006, an ] was presented to the Supreme Court of the State of California, wherein the ], ] and ] gave their opinion that scientific research has consistently shown that lesbian and gay parents are as fit and capable as heterosexual parents, noting that researchers have concluded that lesbian mothers do not differ from heterosexual mothers in parenting ability and, while fewer studies exist on gay men and parenting, research suggests gay men may be similar in parenting ability to heterosexual men.<ref name=amici></ref> This opinion is also held by the Canadian Psychological Association and the Australian Psychological Society,<ref name=cpa>Canadian Psychological Association: </ref><ref name=apsp></ref> and there is no national professional organisation in these countries or Europe that holds a different opinion. | In 2006, an ] was presented to the Supreme Court of the State of California, wherein the ], ] and ] gave their opinion that scientific research has consistently shown that lesbian and gay parents are as fit and capable as heterosexual parents, noting that researchers have concluded that lesbian mothers do not differ from heterosexual mothers in parenting ability and, while fewer studies exist on gay men and parenting, research suggests gay men may be similar in parenting ability to heterosexual men.<ref name=amici></ref> This opinion is also held by the Canadian Psychological Association and the Australian Psychological Society,<ref name=cpa>Canadian Psychological Association: </ref><ref name=apsp></ref> and there is no national professional organisation in these countries or Europe that holds a different opinion. | ||
| Research has |
Research has documented that there is no relationship between parents' sexual orientation and any measure of a child's emotional, psychosocial, and behavioral adjustment.<ref name="amici"/><ref name="cpa"/><ref name="apsp"/><ref name=pediatrics>Pawelski, James G., Perrin, Ellen C., Foy, Jane M., Allen, Carole E., Crawford, James E., Del Monte, Mark, Kaufman, Miriam, Klein, Jonathan D., Smith, Karen, Springer, Sarah, Tanner, J. Lane, Vickers, Dennis L. The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children ] 2006 118: 349-364; available online: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/1/349</ref> The literature indicates that parents’ financial, psychological and physical well-being is enhanced by marriage and that children benefit from being raised by two parents within a legally-recognized union.<ref name="amici"/><ref name="cpa"/><ref name="pediatrics"/> | ||
| The American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and National Association of Social Workers state: "The abilities of gay and lesbian persons as parents and the positive outcomes for their children are not areas where credible scientific researchers disagree. Statements by the leading associations of experts in this area reflect professional consensus that children raised by lesbian or gay parents do not differ in any important respects from those raised by heterosexual parents. No credible empirical research suggests otherwise."<ref name="amici"/> | The American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and National Association of Social Workers state: "The abilities of gay and lesbian persons as parents and the positive outcomes for their children are not areas where credible scientific researchers disagree. Statements by the leading associations of experts in this area reflect professional consensus that children raised by lesbian or gay parents do not differ in any important respects from those raised by heterosexual parents. No credible empirical research suggests otherwise."<ref name="amici"/> | ||
Revision as of 18:33, 29 July 2009
| Family law |
|---|
| Family |
| Marriage and other unions and status |
| Validity of marriages |
| Dissolution of marriages |
Children's issues
|
| Private international law |
|
Family and criminal code (or criminal law) |
| Part of a series on |
| LGBTQ rights |
|---|
 |
| Lesbian ∙ Gay ∙ Bisexual ∙ Transgender ∙ Queer |
Overview
|
| Aspects |
| Opposition |
| Organizations |
| Politics |
| Timeline |
| Related |
 LGBTQ portal |
Template:Fixbunching LGBT parenting, is when a lesbian or gay couple, or a couple where one or both parties are bisexual or transgender, raise children together, either through adoption, fostering, surrogacy, donor-insemination, or bringing children into the partnership from a previous relationship. A third of lesbian couples, and nearly a quarter of gay couples, fulfill this role, rasing over a quarter of a million children in the United States. All major agencies concerned with child-welfare agree that evidence shows that in terms of childrens' outcomes, lesbian and gay parents are as suitable as parents as parents who are in heterosexual marriages.
How LGBT people become parents
Common methods of LGBT parenting are adoption, donor insemination, foster parenting, and surrogacy, as well as parenting by a mother or father who was previously in a heterosexual relationship.
A lesbian or gay man may have children within a mixed-orientation marriage either because of a fear of discrimination, to manage ego-dystonic homosexuality, affection or love, desire for family, or spiritual reasons. Outsiders and family members may not know that one of the parents is not heterosexual.
Demographics
Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are parents. In the 2000 U.S. Census, for example, 33 percent of female same-sex couple households and 22 percent of male same-sex couple households reported at least one child under the age of 18 living in the home. As of 2005, an estimated 270,313 children in the United States live in households headed by same-sex couples.
Parenting practices and children’s outcomes
In 2001, Steven Nock, a professor at the University of Virginia, presented his opinions on the methodology of research into lesbian and gay parents to the Attorney General of Canada. He noted that at that time, the available research on same-sex parenting was limited and often had methodological flaws and limited sample size. He concluded that "all of the articles reviewed contained at least one fatal flaw of design or execution; and not a single one of the studies was conducted according to general accepted standards of scientific research".
Steven Hicks questions the value of trying to establish that lesbian or gay parents are defective or suitable, arguing such positions are flawed because they are informed by ideologies that either oppose or support such families, "Instead of asking whether gay parenting is bad for kids, I think we should ask how contemporary discourses of sexuality maintain the very idea that lesbian and gay families are essentially different and, indeed, deficient. But, in order to ask this, I think that we need a wider range of research into lesbian and gay parenting that employs interpretivist methodologies, which does not rely upon statements of fact, and which moves away from an obsession with outcome-based evidence. Qualitative, in-depth studies, and even personal accounts by lesbian and gay parents and their children, allow us some ‘tolerance for complexity’ (Gubrium and Holstein, 1997: 13) with which to examine the variety of lesbian and gay lives. They also allow us to begin to ask how ideas about who counts as a ‘family’ are achieved. This does not mean that qualitative accounts are any less partial, but it also does not mean that they are illegitimate. More work of this sort will help us to ask more complex questions about forms of parenting that continue to offer some novel and challenging approaches to family life."
In 2006, Gregory M. Herek, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Davis and one of the leading scholars in the area of sexual orientation research, published the scientific evidence that pertains to the political debate over samesex relationship recognition in The American Psychologist, the leading academic journal in the field of psychology. He noted: "The overall methodological sophistication and quality of studies in this domain have increased over the years, as would be expected for any new area of empirical inquiry. More recent research has reported data from probability and community-based convenience samples that were not originally recruited on the basis of sexual orientation, has used more rigorous assessment techniques, and has been published in highly respected and widely cited developmental psychology journals, including Child Development and Developmental Psychology. Data are increasingly available from prospective studies. In addition, whereas early study samples consisted mainly of children originally born into heterosexual relationships that subsequently dissolved when one parent came out as gay or lesbian, recent samples are more likely to include children conceived within a same-sex relationship or adopted in infancy by a same-sex couple. Thus, they are less likely to confound the effects of having a sexual minority parent with the consequences of divorce. Despite considerable variation in the quality of their samples, research design, measurement methods, and data analysis techniques, the findings to date have been remarkably consistent. Empirical studies comparing children raised by sexual minority parents with those raised by otherwise comparable heterosexual parents have not found reliable disparities in mental health or social adjustment. Differences have not been found in parenting ability between lesbian mothers and heterosexual mothers. Studies examining gay fathers are fewer in number but do not show that gay men are any less fit or able as parents than heterosexual men. One recent study used a probability sample and thus provides a valid basis for generalization to the population. The researchers found no significant differences in psychological wellbeing or family and relationship processes (e.g., parental warmth, integration into one’s neighborhood). Adolescents with parents in female couples felt significantly more integrated into their schools than did those with parents in male–female couples (Wainright et al., 2004). Empirical research to date has consistently failed to find linkages between children’s well-being and the sexual orientation of their parents. If gay, lesbian, or bisexual parents were inherently less capable than otherwise comparable heterosexual parents, their children would evidence problems regardless of the type of sample. This pattern clearly has not been observed. Given the consistent failures in this research literature to disprove the null hypothesis, the burden of empirical proof is on those who argue that the children of sexual minority parents fare worse than the children of heterosexual parents."
In 2006, an Amicus Brief was presented to the Supreme Court of the State of California, wherein the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association and National Association of Social Workers gave their opinion that scientific research has consistently shown that lesbian and gay parents are as fit and capable as heterosexual parents, noting that researchers have concluded that lesbian mothers do not differ from heterosexual mothers in parenting ability and, while fewer studies exist on gay men and parenting, research suggests gay men may be similar in parenting ability to heterosexual men. This opinion is also held by the Canadian Psychological Association and the Australian Psychological Society, and there is no national professional organisation in these countries or Europe that holds a different opinion.
Research has documented that there is no relationship between parents' sexual orientation and any measure of a child's emotional, psychosocial, and behavioral adjustment. The literature indicates that parents’ financial, psychological and physical well-being is enhanced by marriage and that children benefit from being raised by two parents within a legally-recognized union.
The American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and National Association of Social Workers state: "The abilities of gay and lesbian persons as parents and the positive outcomes for their children are not areas where credible scientific researchers disagree. Statements by the leading associations of experts in this area reflect professional consensus that children raised by lesbian or gay parents do not differ in any important respects from those raised by heterosexual parents. No credible empirical research suggests otherwise."
As noted by Professor Judith Stacey, of New York University: “Rarely is there as much consensus in any area of social science as in the case of gay parenting, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics and all of the major professional organizations with expertise in child welfare have issued reports and resolutions in support of gay and lesbian parental rights”. Among these mainstream organizations are in the United States the American Psychiatric Association, the National Association of Social Workers, Child Welfare League of America, the American Bar Association, the North American Council on Adoptable Children, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, in the United Kingdom, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and in Canada, the Canadian Psychological Association. The American Psychological Association supports adoption and parenting by same-sex couples, citing social prejudice as harming the psychological health of lesbians and gays while noting there is no empiric evidence that their parenting causes harm. The American Medical Association has issued a similar position supporting same-sex adoption, stating that while there is little evidence against LGBT parenting, lack of formal recognition can cause health-care disparities for children of same-sex parents. The Canadian Psychological Association is concerned that some persons and institutions are mis-interpreting the findings of psychological research to support their positions, when their positions are more accurately based on other systems of belief or values.
Where some studies have shown that children raised by lesbian mothers conform to stereotypical gender-role behaviour, researchers have observed more relaxed boundaries in sex-typed play (dolls versus trucks) and in gender-stereotypical career aspirations among such children. The argument that same-sex parents are unsuitable for the same reason that single parenting is not an optimal situation hinges on the assumption that children of single-parent households suffer due to a lack of gender role models, rather than due to a lack of parental care and supervision associated with single parenting. Whether studies on single-parent families necessarily relate to parental gender roles or to the quality of parenting provided by same-sex couples is challenged, such as stated in a 2006 report by the Department of Justice (Canada), that it is "independent of the sexual orientation of parents."
Discussions sometimes focus on whether the children of lesbian, gay, or bisexual parents are more likely to experience same-sex erotic attractions or to identify as gay. Whether this is relevant for policy or not is doubtful, because homosexuality is not an illness or disability, and is not considered harmful, undesirable, needing intervention or prevention by the mental health profession.
Research that has uncovered interesting differences indirectly connected with having lesbian or gay parents, notes that the connections are not causal. The authors noted that homophobic and heteronormative attitudes have had an effect on framing earlier research into children with lesbian and gay parents, and that studies based on single-parent family outcomes are not relevant to two-same-sex-parent families. They found that within such families there tends to be less emphasis on behaving in stereotypically gendered ways and more openness to non-heterosexual orientation than in heterosexual families. "A significantly greater proportion of young adult children raised by lesbian mothers than those raised by heterosexual mothers in the sample reported having had a homoerotic relationship (6 of the 25 young adults raised by lesbian mothers compared with 0 of the 20 raised by heterosexual mothers.)" and that those raised by lesbian mothers were more open to the idea that they might have homoerotic attraction or relationships; the difference is significant: "64 percent of the young adults raised by lesbian mothers report having considered same-sex relationships (in the past, now or in the future), compared with only 17 percent of those raised by heterosexual mothers." This is explained in terms of the attitudes cultivated when living in a family which is not concerned with gender stereotypes and having an openness to non-heterosexual sexual orientations outcomes. They conclude that there are no differences between heterosexual and lesbian or gay families that are of social concern.
See also
|
References
- Butler, Katy (March 7, 2006). "Many Couples Must Negotiate Terms of 'Brokeback' Marriages". New York Times.
- Gay Men from Heterosexual Marriages: Attitudes, Behaviors, Childhood Experiences, and Reasons for Marriage
- Gay, Mormon, married
- Moore, Carrie A. (March 30, 2007). "Gay LDS men detail challenges". Deseret Morning News.
- Bozett, Frederick W. "The Heterosexually Married Gay and Lesbian Parent". Gay and Lesbian Parents. p. 138.
- APA Policy Statement on Sexual Orientation, Parents & Children, American Psychological Association, July 28 & 30, 2004. Retrieved on 04-06-2007.
- Williams Institute: Census Snapshot - United States
- Affidavit of Steven Lowell Nock upon request of the Attorney General of Canada.
- Hicks, Stephen (2005), "Is Gay Parenting Bad for Kids? Responding to the 'Very Idea of Difference' in Research on Lesbian and Gay Parents", Sexualities, 8 (2): 165
- Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Relationships in the United States by Gregory M. Herek
- ^ Case No. S147999 in the Supreme Court of the State of California, In re Marriage Cases Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding No. 4365, Application for leave to file brief amici curiae in support of the parties challenging the marriage exclusion, and brief amici curiae of the American Psychological Association, California Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, National Association of Social Workers, and National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter in support of the parties challenging the marriage exclusion
- ^ Canadian Psychological Association: Marriage of Same-Sex Couples – 2006 Position Statement Canadian Psychological Association
- ^ Elizabeth Short, Damien W. Riggs, Amaryll Perlesz, Rhonda Brown, Graeme Kane: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Parented Families - A Literature Review prepared for The Australian Psychological Society
- ^ Pawelski, James G., Perrin, Ellen C., Foy, Jane M., Allen, Carole E., Crawford, James E., Del Monte, Mark, Kaufman, Miriam, Klein, Jonathan D., Smith, Karen, Springer, Sarah, Tanner, J. Lane, Vickers, Dennis L. The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children Pediatrics 2006 118: 349-364; available online: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/1/349
- cited in Cooper & Cates, 2006, p. 36; citation available on http://www.psychology.org.au/Assets/Files/LGBT-Families-Lit-Review.pdf
- "Professional Organizations on GLBT Parenting".
- Royal College of Psychiatrists response to comments on Nolan Show regarding homosexuality as a mental disorder
- Paige, R. U. (2005). Proceedings of the American Psychological Association, Incorporated, for the legislative year 2004. Minutes of the meeting of the Council of Representatives July 28 & 30, 2004, Honolulu, HI. Retrieved November 18, 2004, from the World Wide Web http://www.apa.org/governance/. (To be published in Volume 60, Issue Number 5 of the American Psychologist.)
- "Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Marriage", Study finds gay moms equally-good parents, July 2004.
- "Position Statement: Adoption and Co-parenting of Children by Same-sex Couples", American Psychological Association, November 2002.
- "AMA Policy regarding sexual orientation"
- Nanette Gartrell, M.D., Carla Rodas, M.P.H., Amalia Deck, M.S.N. Heidi Peyser, M.A. and Amy Banks, M.D. (2005). "Interviews With Ten-Year-Old Children" (PDF). American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 70 (4).
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "Too High A Price: The Case Against Restricting Gay Parenting" (PDF). American Civil Liberties Union. February 7, 2006.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Kevin, Bourassa (2007-05-09). "Harper shoves family study into the closet". Equal Marriage for Same-sex Couples: Advocacy News. equalmarriage.ca. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Herek, Gregory M. (2006), "Legal recognition of same-sex relationships in the United States: A social science perspective", American Psychologist, vol. 61, p. 607-621 available online http://wedding.thejons.net/homework/optional_readings.pdf
- (How) Does the Sexual Orientation of Parent's Matter?
External links
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Parented Families - A Literature Review prepared for The Australian Psychological Society (2007)
- PEDIATRICS: The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children (2006)
- Too High a Price - The Case Against Restricting Gay Parenting (updated second edition) (2006), a publication by the ACLU, includes a detailed review of studies and research.
- American Psychological Association (APA) Public Interest Directorate: Research Summary on Lesbian and Gay Parenting (2005)
- Brief presented to the Legislative House of Commons Committee on Bill C38 By the Canadian Psychological Association (2005)
- - Rainbow Rumpus, the magazine for kids with LGBT parents
- Greenwood and Fink - all legal services for same sex adopting couples and more. - Providing a path to gay and lesbian adoption: all legal services, access to obstetric and pediatric medical services, accommodations, social services, concierge services and other resources.
