¶ … society has accepted the presence of gays and lesbians, still beneath that facade, lies intense prejudice and discrimination. Society has refused to grant them even some most basic rights such as adoption and foster-parenting. Florida and two other states have imposed strict ban on adoption by same-sex parents, assuming that, children in unconventional family settings often lack emotional and psychological stability. But several studies in this connection have contradicted such notions and have clearly indicated that children of homosexual parents are no different from children of heterosexual couples.
GAY AND LESBIAN PARENTING
The Courts in the United States have tried repeatedly to provide children with a family setting which is recognized by American Family Law. Even the societal changes, which are currently taking place in family structures, the society itself and the legal system of our country have failed to see beyond the myths and misconceptions associated with alternative family structure. Millions of gays and lesbians are now trying to become parents through adoption, insemination and surrogate procedures. No matter which method is finally chosen, it has been repeatedly proven by researchers and pediatric professionals that gay couples are absolutely capable of providing love, support and moral values required for healthy mental and emotional development of children. Thus to assume that an alternative family structure would be detrimental for child's psychological growth is certainly absurd and unreasonable. Such notions only reflect the limited and narrow thinking of the pre-dominantly heterosexual society. It is true that gay and lesbian families are not 'traditional' because it doesn't fit the definition of a family provided by American Family law but it is certainly 'traditional' if viewed from the values a family is supposed to possess and uphold. It is important to understand that society has failed to give equal respect and rights to homosexuals that it grants freely to heterosexuals because there is taboo attached to this section of the society. It is strange yet true that a society that claims to be thoroughly progressive openly discriminates against people with unnatural sexual orientation. It is widely accepted that though gays and lesbians may differ from heterosexual people as far as their sexual preferences are concerned, they possess the same capabilities and can prove to be fit and capable parents.
Lesbian & Gay Parenting: A Fact Sheet (1993) says, "There are an estimated six to 10 million lesbian and gay parents in the United States. They are the mothers and fathers to an estimated six to 14 million children throughout the country. Lesbian and gay parents, however, face many social and legal obstacles. For many years, it was nearly impossible for a person to be openly gay and raise a child, but now a growing segment of American society has recognized that sexual orientation has no bearing on the ability to be a loving and successful parent. As more empirical evidence becomes available that debunks the myths about gay parents, and as more lesbians and gay men fight for their children, those obstacles will continue to fall."
The importance of Court rulings cannot be denied in this connection. We need to understand that all past cases have some bearing on the future trends in societal acceptance of gay parenting. While Florida, Utah and Mississippi have banned adoption by gay parents, there are still some prominent Court cases, which reflect the progressive thinking of our legal system and certain organizations, in connection with the issue of gay parenting. The definition of 'capable parents' has also undergone a positive change as Courts now focus on things other than sexual orientation when deciding who is fit to bring up a child. This is commonly referred to as the nexus test, in which the Court doesn't take sexual preferences in account unless it is proven with concrete evidence that the child's mental or emotional health is at risk because of his parents' intimate relationships. In Guinan vs. Guinan (1984), the court applied the nexus test and decided in favor of the lesbian mother who was allowed to retain custody of her children. The Court found that homosexuality did not make a parent 'unfit' and since no evidence supporting the father's stand was available, the Court concluded: "Specifically, the mere fact that a parent is a homosexual does not alone render him or her unfit as a parent. A parent's sexual indiscretions should be a consideration in a custody dispute only if they are shown to adversely affect the child's welfare." (Bartlett, 1984)
There are still some instances in which Court decision reflect homophobic attitude...
Gay Marriage Gaiety is the practice of bossom love for similar sex and especially between two males or females, bisexual exclusive. "Continued engagement into such practices more often than not lead to desire to attain psychosocial satisfaction through intense urge to achieve a feeling of love and sense of belonging" (Abraham Maslow - Hierarchy of Needs). Hence eventually becoming life long partners as depicted in gay marriages, but marriage is defined
Gay Serial Killers Serial killers continue to hold a fascination on the American public. The crimes of this subset of murderers are frequently sexualized in nature, which perhaps adds to the titillation in media coverage. It is worth observing that many of the most widely-publicized serial murder cases of the past fifty years or so have involved gay or lesbian serial killers: Jeffrey Dahmer remains a household name even in 2014,
D., para. 8). While homosexuality is not the primary focus of a person's identity that counselors fixate on during these sessions, it is important that counselors take the fact that their client is a homosexual into consideration. By doing this, the counselor can determine whether or not there may be issues associated with their sexual orientation or coming out process that may be affecting other areas of their lives. Thus, the
It delved into the historical record of integration of blacks into the military, public opinions and health risks and unit disruption. It also incorporated the findings of scientific literature on group cohesion, sexuality and relevant health and legal issues and their implementation. Only one policy would fulfill the President's directive. It would consider sexual orientation as not inherent in determining who may serve in the military. It would set
These responsibilities notwithstanding, the American public was already being conditioned to view the war in Iraq as a battle against extremists, that is, against the Islamist radicals who had threatened the "American" way" of life on September 11, 2001. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson had already inflamed America's own Christian fundamentalists with talk that the terrible events of that day were to blame in part on "the gays and
Many are occasions when children are born and disowned by their parents. It cannot be so untraditional for a gay couple to take that child into custody, and ensure that children receive the best care deserved. In fact, it is relevant to note that children raised by gay couples receive parental care and love just like those raised by the opposite sex families.. There is nothing defiant about gay marriages
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