Class Links

Aperry's blog "Gay Marriage in America! Should it be Allowed?" is arguing a very similar topic. In the About Me portion it is obvious that Aperry believes that gay couples should be allowed to marry but at the same time does not force their opinions on others. Also the "Links" has a lot of good further reading.

"The Abortion Debate" is well researched blog about abortion. It is visited frequently because there are a lot of comments for each blog. Also it brings up the topic of partial births.

"Legalize Marijuana?" is a great blog that makes legalization of marijuana an academic argument. There are a lot of good links. Also the blog posts are unbiased.

Self-Analysis

The time I have spent writing this blog has helped me learn a lot. Most importantly I have learned what is a creditable source. Gay adoption is an important binary issue that I believe only same-sex couples should have any concern with. Gay couples are becoming more open and are no longer afraid of not being "normal". So just like heterosexual couple, gay couples want children. For example many articles like, "Adoption by gay couples on the rise", show that more same-sex couples adopt. This assignment has made me expand my views and find a binary issue within a condensed topic.

Implications

The gay population in the world is rising fairly quickly. With this also comes a rise in gay adoption. Also more Americans support gay couples. However if this issue were to remain in the state it is now then the world would be in disarray. The whole United States would ban same-sex adoption, which now 16 states propose a ban on gay adoption. In addition there would be a lot more same-sex protests.

Rosie O'Donnell's Cruise for Gay Families

On March 30, 2006 Rosie O'Donnell's television special, "All Aboard!," aired on HBO. The special showed O'Donnell and a few other same-sex parents on a cruise. O'Donnell says, "the illusion about gay people is that it's all about sex. What unites us on this cruise is not that we're gay, but that we're parents."

One of the young girls said, "the hardest thing is to have to constantly defend your family." The purpose of the cruise was to let these families be around other families that are similar to them.

The Difference

On May 11, 2007, The Toronto Star published an article about the affect of having same-sex parents. The article reports that the Canadian government has been hiding report on same-sex parenting, since the report, while not explicitly mentioning marriage, provides plenty of evidence that gay unions are good for children. Paul Hastings, Concordia University psychologist, obtained a copy under the Access to Information Act. Hastings has analyzed over 100 studies and has come to the conclusion that children raised by same-sex parents are not very different fr0m those raised by heterosexual couples.

The only problem that children with gay parents face is discrimination. Some of these children are teased, bullied, and may face social isolation. This is a serious problem that can lead to the child committing suicide. However the studies that Hastings analyzed show that same-sex parents are better at neutilizing the discrimination than heterosexual couples.

References:
Wilkes, Jim. "Two Parents are better than one." The Toronto Star 11 May 2007: A20.

Links

Here is some links that I have found quite useful in forming my opinions while writing my posts:
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/gayadopt_poll020402.html
http://gaylife.about.com/od/gayparentingadoptio1/a/gayparent.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2001-08-23-kids-gay-parents-usat.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/25/gay.adoption/index.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170219,00.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/02/04/usat-coparents.htm
http://www.queerparents.org/familyvalues.html
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~thepress/read.php?id=102
http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=240&np=296&id=2038
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/960916/archive_034474_print.htm
http://www.ofspirit.com/tw-theyalechildstudy.htm

Theory

Same-sex parents are becoming more accepted in society. Same-sex parents are seeing the difference in heterosexual acceptance over the past decade. Children of gay parents are now being allowed in many private schools, including Christian schools. Clergy members are indirectly blessing gay-headed families by baptizing their children. There is an increased availability of donor banks and surrogate mothers for same-sex couples. Also the rise in gay-headed families has been aided by a greater willingness among adoption agencies to accept gay men and lesbians as parents.

There is also a rise in sites dedicated to supporting children of same-sex couples. Such as the site made by the the Youth Leadership and Action Program of COLAGE (Children Of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) that has tips for teachers on classroom safety for children of same-sex couples. These sites and attitude of society is helping gay couples feel more accepted.

Research on Homosexual Parents Have Flaws

Many studies have have reported to show that children raised in gay and lesbian households fare no worse than those reared in traditional families. In an article, "Homosexual Parenting: Placing children at risk", written by Timothy J. Dailey Ph.D. says that much of that research fails to meet acceptable standards for psychological research. Also Dailey states that many of theses studies are done by openly lesbian researchers.

Daliey states that the studies are biased because of a sample size and samples are not diverse. If a study is only conducted on six families, three being traditional and three being non traditional, if all the families are cacasion, middle class, and well educated then sample is biased. If a study is only conducted on two families, one being traditional and one being non traditional, then the sample is biased.

However Dailey writes that research on gay and lesbian parents is fairly new. Also studies do not show that gay men and lesbians are unfit parents. Dailey's article brings about a great point. The bias in studies can affect its results.

Gay Parents Having the Upper Hand

After writing my analysis post I became more interested in an article talking about same-sex parents having advantages over herterosexual parents. The article was written in 2004. Two University of California sociologists re-examined data from 21 studies on gay parenting dating back to 1980.

In a study conducted by the two University of California sociologists they concluded that children with lesbian or gay parents show more empathy for social diversity. They also believe that these children are less confined by gender stereotypes, and are probably more likely to explore homosexual activity themselves.

I find this to be a very interesting conclusion. The two sociologists believe that same-sex parents have a positive affect on children. However at the same time they believe that these children are more like to become homosexuals themselves. These ideas show that the sociologists believe that it is okay if gay parents have gay children.

Gay Adoption Ad

This is a ad that provides humor towards a serious subject. Ads like this one help people better understand very controversial issues.

Analysis

Same-sex couples often face scrutiny when it comes to adopting. People wonder if same-sex couples can provide the same care as heterosexual couples. This is such a controversial issue that over 16 states are trying to ban same-sex couples from adopting. There a many sites and forums that debate the issue of gay couples being allowed to adopt.

To get a better view and understanding of the topic I have decided to research whether having same-sex parents can affect a child negatively. Whether having gay parents can affect a child negatively is a binary issue that many people have not been forced to look at. In recent years we have seen cases were children are punished for the sexuality of their parents. For example, Shay Clark was expelled from Ontario Christian School in 2005. According to Ontario Christian School she was expelled because at least one parent cannot practice immoral or inconsistent with a positive Christian life style such as cohabiting without marriage or in a homosexual relationship. This also brings about the issue of gay parents have family values.

There is a lot of research being done on the issue of gay couples adopting children. One article talks about the problems gay couples face when their children go back to school. Another article talks about how people can support children with same-sex parents. In one study done by two University of California sociologists suggest that gay parents may have some advantages. In another article written by USATODAY it talks about doctors that believe gays would promote children's best interests. A study done by the America Psychological Association says that children of same-sex parents are no different from children of heterosexual parents. An article written by US News and World Report talks about children of gay marriages sexuality. Over the next few weeks I plan to further research the topic of whether having same-sex parents can affect a child negatively.

The Paperwork

According to the Independent Adoption Center, the average wait time from when a prospective adoptive family completes all of their pre-adoption paperwork and a child is placed in their home is from 6 months to 18 months (http://www.adoptionhelp.org/adoption_statistics/2006.html). The time that the children stay in orphanages can range from birth to 18-years-old. If children can be adopted within a matter of months why should they have to stay in orphanages because the couple that wants to adopt them are of the same sex?

A Little More Information

Did you know that about 65,000 adopted children in the US are raised by same-sex parents? Also did you know that more than 14,100 foster children are living with one or more gay or lesbian foster parent? In this particular article CNN talks about gay adoption and interviews a same-sex couple. The same-sex couple sometimes worries about their child growing up and not feeling normal. The child is only four-years-old and notices that he does not have a "mommy" like his other friends.

But should it matter what sex your parents are? The basic job of parent is to provide care for their child/children. As Americans we are suposed to believe in equal rights for both men and women. Most parents that choose to adopt do so because they have a love for children. Also if so many children in the US are raised by same-sex parents are they affected by their parents sexuality?
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/25/gay.adoption/index.html

What is Considered Normal?

American people have created an image of what the perfect family consists of; a father, a mother, and two maybe three kids. The father is supposed to provide for his family and be the male role model for his children. A father is supposed to teach his son how to build stuff, fix cars, and treat women with the utmost respect. The mother is supposed to take care of her family; and in some families in order to achieve this goal some mothers quit their careers to become a stay-at-home mother. A mother is supposed to show her daughters how to sew, cook, and apply make up.
But what makes this the perfect family? Gay marriages are becoming more popular. Also more states are making gay marriages legal. In a gay relationship either both of the partners are male or both partners are female. So which one is considered the father? Which one is considered the mother?
Another question that has become a big issue is whether gay couple should be allowed to adopt. Of course if you are in a female gay relationship you can be artificially inseminated. But for males their only option is to adopt. Can a family still be a family without a mother and father figure? Will the children understand why they have two mommies or two daddies? Will these couples be able to provide the proper care for their children? Why should people be able to decide who can adopt and who cannot?