Homosexuals Better Parents Than Heterosexuals

Same-Sex Parenting: No Difference from Heterosexual Parenting

Shaheem R. Harris

Georgia Gwinnett College

Abstract

The matter of same-sex parenting in comparison to heterosexual parenting is a pressing issue not only in the United States but in various countries all over the planet too. Moreover, there is a widespread opinion present that children require both a mother and father in their childhood. This opinion assumes that males and females have different approaches towards parenting, which are beneficial to the development of a child only in a case when these approaches are combined together. The primary objective of this literature is to discover and outline the differences between the parenting abilities of couples from heterosexual and homosexual marriages, the child’s life experiences with homosexual parents, and views on homosexual parenting from other countries. In addition, this review will include the most recent literature (no more than seven years) in order to demonstrate the current attitudes of the general population towards the issue of homosexual parenting in the modern world.

Same-Sex Parenting: No Difference from Heterosexual Parenting

LGBT parenting refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people raising children whether it is by adoption, fostering, surrogacy, co-parenting, and many other ways. Whichever option homosexual couples decide is best for them in order to have children, the important thing is that children are raised in a loving, safe, and secure environment. The perceptions about the topic of homosexual parenting varies around the world. In the U.S., homosexual parenting is looked upon differently than in other countries. In a study conducted in Norway by Ragnhild, Hilde, & Norman (2012), some of the participants were more concerned about the welfare of the children growing up with homosexual couples then homosexuals having the right to raise children. The issue of same-sex parenting and the quality of care for the children in such families as compared to traditional parenting has been a topic for heated debates for the last several years. According to Farr (2017), the attention of the general population to same-sex parenting continues to grow every day. As a result, “longitudinal research about child development, parenting, and family relationships is crucial for informing such debates”, as Farr claims. The results of this branch of research might have a significant impact on the further lives of same-sex couples and their constant battle for the full rights of adopting children and caring for them.

Recent research suggests that parents from same-sex marriages are fully capable of providing their children with the same education and behavioral patterns as couples from heterosexual marriages, Farr (2017). However, several challenges have to be taken into consideration while discussing this subject issue. According to Farr, Oakley, and Ollen (2016), children that have lesbian or gay parents may go through unique challenges relating to family structure during early school years. On the other hand, these unique experiences of the children who have same-sex parents are not the representation of inadequate parenting (e.g., Lick, Patterson, Riskind, Schmidt, & Tornello, 2012). This literature review seeks to explore the differences between the parenting capabilities of couples from heterosexual and homosexual marriages, the child’s life experiences with homosexual parents, and views on homosexual parenting from other countries.

Differences Between Parenting Capabilities

The widespread opinion that children require both a mother and father in their childhood assumes that males and females have different approaches towards parenting, which are critical to the development of a child only if these approaches are combined together. However, in the course of the last decade, new research arises that challenges this popular claim by comparing the parenting techniques and children outcomes in heterosexual and homosexual families (Gato & Fontaine, 2016; Sumontha, Farr, & Patterson, 2016; Riskind & Patterson, 2010). For instance, Biblarz and Stacey (2010), analyzes the parenting approaches of heterosexual, homosexual, and single parent families.

Furthermore, as the prohibition of adoption by same-sex parents was eliminated, homosexual families received the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in parenting. For instance, in the framework of the research conducted by Goldberg, Moyer, Weber, and Shapiro, same-sex families claimed that the elimination of the adoption ban had only positive impacts on their children for the reason that both of their parents were finally acknowledged as capable of raising a child. This statistic indicates that same-sex parents put more effort into the process of parenting, as it is not their right that was always acknowledged by law (Goldberg, Moyer, Weber, & Shapiro, 2013; Haney-Caron & Heilbrun, 2014). In addition to the fact that these parents are more eager to raise their children in a peaceful environment, they receive just as much support from their family, friends, and other members of their social circle as heterosexual families, if not more, which has a positive impact on the development of the adopted children (Sumontha et al., 2016).

Children’s Life Experiences

There has been a lot of extensive research on the subject of the educational, social, and sexual development of the children who have been adopted by same-sex parents. These areas of research have been developing with different speed, however. As a result, at the same time as one field of the future life experiences of the children who are parented by same-sex couples has been studied rather extensively, another field needs improvement and directions for future research. For example, in the study done by Miller, Kors, and Macfie, the area of gay parenting and its effect on the further psychological development of adopted children lacks insight in present day. On the other hand, Miller and colleagues of this research have compared the outcomes for children from heterosexual and homosexual couples and discovered that in the majority of cases, there is no significant difference in the psychological outcomes for the children from both types of families (Miller, Kors, & Macfie, 2017; Patterson, 2013). This supposition is supported by various other studies, for instance, in the study by Patterson (2013).

With regard to the sexual development of children from same-sex families, recent research demonstrates that these kids usually have more liberal views of gender and sexuality in comparison to the children from heterosexual families. In addition, the research done by Sumontha, Farr, and Patterson discovered that the sexual preferences, outlooks, and actions and the same-sex parents usually have no impact on the future views of their children, as their personal traits and preferences (Sumontha et al., 2017). Moreover, the support of same-sex parents has inspired the vast majority of the adopted children to be the active members of both communities - LGBTQ and the traditional heterosexual community (Goldberg, Kinkler, Richardson, & Downing, 2012). The research by Goldberg and colleagues claim that the children that are raised in homosexual families are usually more welcomed by the members of the LGBTQ communities, even if they might shift away from these values in their future adult life