Gay Parenting and family relations

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Gay and Lesbian Parenting
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Statement of the problem
A common perception/notion prevalent in the West is that children who are adopted by gay/lesbians are potential for sexual abuse, there will be an emotional impact of harassment on them, and the likelihood that children raised by gay and lesbian parents will be homosexual. It is very important to study this problem because gay and lesbian parenting is becoming increasingly common and before this problem has a wide impact on society in a negative manner, we need to review its potential pros and cons. In this paper, we endeavor to examine this issue with the help of perspectives given below.
Theoretical perspective on the problem
Children of gay/lesbian couples have always generated a great deal of interest. The challenge that it provides to the basic traditional form of family unit, is still a phenomena that plagues society. In addition, there is the question of the child’s psychological unit-especially for kids born into gay families. Thirdly, from the pure view of practicality the custody aspect and the legal system of adoption and foster care, works under some suppositions about problems faced by kids who come from gay/lesbian family unit (Charlotte J. Patterson, 1992).
Theoretical Issues
A healthy pair of socially acceptable parents has always been considered a fundamental building block in the stable psychological and social development of kids. Hence, many theories maintain a pessimistic view for children who have these two essential ingredients missing in their upbringing (Nungesser, 1980). Social theories therefore stress the need of having a heterosexual male and female pair for the (Bronfen-brenner, 1960; Chodorow, 1978; Dinner-stein, 1976; Huston, 1983) proper development of kids, which shuns those children whose parents don’t exhibit these traits and predicts predicaments for their lives (Charlotte J. Patterson, 1992).
Although cognitive developmental theory (e.g., Kohlberg, 1966) and gender schema theory (e.g., Bem, 1983) do not require such conjectures, advocates of these views have not said anything to defy their assumptions (Charlotte J. Patterson, 1992).
In addition to the theory it is hard to rationalize the topic with logic. Instead, people who are disabled don’t fall under the category of normal parents. However, the right of them to have kids has never been questioned, although they might not be able to participate actively in the child’s development, training and growth or perform everyday tasks for them. It seems peculiar because kids, who have disabled parents, could very easily be labeled to have difficulty in their personal and social development. However, that issue has been accepted as part of fate that kids of such parents, should just learn to deal with it. It would indeed be considered inhuman if people with disabilities are questioned on their parenting skills or considered unsuitable because of their limitations, to be considered adequate parents (Charlotte J. Patterson, 1992).
As a society if we don’t question the right of disabled people to have kids, then how can we question the right of gay/lesbian parents to have children? (Charlotte J. Patterson, 1992).
Empirical research hence gives a chance to study the theories that are often taken for granted, that the sexual preference of their parents often has a strong impact on the child’s development (Charlotte J. Patterson, 1992).
Addressing and framing the problem from one of the theoretical perspectives, discussing its key features and major concepts, and explaining how this problem will be studied:
Gay and Lesbian Adoptive Parents
Gay and Lesbian couples have always adopted as traditionally that has been the only route available to them to have a progeny. Comprising almost 10% of the US population or 25 million, homosexuals are being considered more seriously as adoptive parents, which corresponds with an increase in the number of biological gay/lesbian parents.
In 1976, there were an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 gay and lesbian biological parents; as of 1990, an estimated 6 to 14 million children have a gay or lesbian parent. And, between 8 and 10 million children are being raised in gay and lesbian households.
The US Department of Health and Human Services, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS), that there were approximately 547,000 children in foster care in the US. However, in 1997 according to a research only 20% of these children had adoptive families who qualified to rear a child (this also includes single parents)
With such impressive figures can they be realistically excluded from adoption?
Social workers might still have reservations about how kids feel about themselves and their parents? The question of social acceptance and bullying? The  question of their feelings towards their parents and relationships? Whether kids would grow up to have intrinsic homosexual tendencies?
Most homosexual households demonstrate either a step or blend family system. There are gay and lesbian couples who have previously had heterosexual relationships from which they have kids and then later ‘came out’. Or going for reproductive technology like donor insemination of lesbians is also another alternative form for gay/lesbian couple to have kids.
However, the ideal family unit of four is hard to fit in with a homosexual couple. Most of the research is focused on homosexual couple having a single kid. However, a family unit is only complete with siblings for the child. This poses further questions. If adoption is the most common route for most homosexual couples then how do different adopted kids with a set of homosexual couple fit in? Is it more of a social experiment then a model for a working family unit? The importance of sibling cannot be undermined for a child which provides the strong bond and basis for a cohesive family structure. However, how much can you depart from tradition?
Although much has been debated and said, it is hard to say the exact effects of kids who are grown under gay/lesbian parents. Different organizations have come on different conclusions but their research might be quoted with a certain degree of bias in their own interest. Research on conservative religious and political bodies claim a detrimental effect, whereas gay supporters claim a positive impact which might not be free of bias (Child Welfare Information Gateway)
Research
The gay/lesbian family unit is still an evolving area of research, which is yet to reach a conclusive verdict. However, the research of the following contemporaries throws an important light in this grey area.
Dr Abbie Goldberg, is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Clark University and author of  HYPERLINK "http://erclk.about.com/?zi=17/2yji" \t "_blank" Lesbian and Gay Parents and Their Children: Research on the Family Life Cycle. Her book aims to be an influential force in changing public policy by summarizing the research done on gay/lesbian families.
Her book focuses on the aspect that kids raised by gay/lesbian parents have no less opportunity or face greater drawbacks than kids raised by heterosexual parents. It focuses on three primary districts: sexual orientation, psychological effect and social development. Each of these are presented below:
Sexual Orientation:  An important prejudice against gay/lesbian parenting is that kids raised by such parents would probably face a dilemma about their own sexual orientation. There is no proof to support this claim and nothing to bear truth to the assumption that gay/lesbian parents would lead to their kids being homosexual anymore than heterosexual parents (Patterson and Redding 1996). Other research methods accounted for like interviews and pictorial stimulations record no confusion about gender identity among children of gay/lesbian parents (Patterson and Redding1996).
Psychological Effect: Another bias is that kids of gay/lesbian couples are more likely to be a victim of depression or behavioral problems. However, the lack of evidence again calls to negate the statement compared to kids raised by heterosexual partners. Although an increased level of stress is reported for children raised by gay/lesbian couples, no studies indicate that their welfare is any less from kids of het...