Children Raised By Lesbians

Reading Response to “Children of Lesbian and Gay Parents” by Charlotte J. Patterson

The majority of this article discussed children of lesbian mothers and how research has shown that there really is no significant difference between the development of children raised by lesbian mothers and heterosexual mothers. The article also stressed several times that the quality of family relationships is much more important than the sexual orientation of a child’s parents.

A handful of studies were done with children of lesbian mothers including children who were born into heterosexual families where a divorce occurred and the mother pursued a lesbian lifestyle thereafter, and children who were products of sperm donation from a California sperm bank whose mother’s were lesbians. The research that was recorded was either from an in home interview or questionnaires and focused on the development of children from several different age groups. None of these children were shown to have significant developmental problems that differed from those of children raised by heterosexual couples. These studies show that lesbian mothers truly can raise healthy children.

The research done on children raised by lesbian mothers has been used in several court battles and custody cases. It would not be worthwhile for a heterosexual father to fight against his lesbian ex-wife for their child if his cause for concern suggested that their child might develop behavior problems or social disorders from being raised in a gay household. The research shows that this father would be completely false in his cause for concern. It would have been much more productive for the families involved in such court battles to take the time to raise their children with care and love.

I wish that this article had discussed research of all gay couples including those where two men raise a child. While I still think it would reveal similar results to children raised by lesbian mothers, it would have been interesting to read. I was a little confused as to whether that research had not been conducted yet, or if the author had just not been part of that research. I do however believe that two men raising a child would not lead to any significant child developmental issues as long