Homosexuality

ROUND 3: HOMOSEXUALITY AND PARENTHOOD. The debate over homosexual marriage is somewhat controversial, it’s counterpart (homosexuals as parents) brings much more questions to the table. My opponent will, undoubtedly, argue that a child needs both a male and a female influence in their lives in order to grow up positively. This hackneyed argument is insufficient for a multitude of reasons. 1.) It demotes single heterosexual parents. 2.) There is sufficient evidence to refute it. According to research done by the Canadian Psychological Association their, “… review of the psychological research led us to conclude that the children of same-sex parents do not differ from the children of heterosexual parents in terms of their psychosocial development, their gender development and their gender identity.” [1] The article goes on further to state, “As the CPA stated in 2003, the stressors encountered by gay and lesbian parents and their children are more likely the result of the way in which society treats them than because of any deficiencies in fitness to parent.” [1] Supplemental evidence does not stop there. In their conclusion of “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Parented Families” The Australian Psychological Society states, “The research indicates that parenting practices and children’s outcomes in families parented by lesbian and gay parents are likely to be at least as favorable as those in families of heterosexual parents, despite the reality that considerable legal discrimination and inequity remain significant challenges for these families.” [2] Another study (How Does the Gender of Parent Matter?) asserts, “Claims that children need both a mother and father presume that women and men parent differently in ways crucial to development but generally rely on studies that conflate gender with other family structure variables.” [3] Lastly, there is the compelling brief of The American Psychological Association, The California Psychological Association, The American Psychiatric Association, and The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy as Amici Curiae in support of Plaintiff-Appellees. (Perry v. Schwarzenegger). Under argument IV, part B literally states, “There is no scientific basis for concluding that gay and lesbian parents are any less fit or capable than heterosexual parents, or that their children are any less psychologically healthy and well adjusted.” [4] I’ve taken the liberty of selecting a few quotes from the brief that I feel support my argument immensely. “Although it is sometimes asserted in policy debates that heterosexual couples are inherently better parents than same-sex couples, or that the children of lesbian or gay parents fare worse than children raised by heterosexual parents, those assertions find no support in the scientific research literature.” “Indeed, the scientific research that has directly compared outcomes for children with gay and lesbian parents with outcomes for children with heterosexual parents has been consistent in showing that lesbian and gay parents are as fit and capable as heterosexual parents, and their children are as psychologically healthy and well-adjusted as children reared by heterosexual parents.” “Most research on this topic has focused on lesbian mothers and refutes the stereotype that lesbian parents are not as child oriented or maternal as non-lesbian mothers. Researchers have concluded that heterosexual and lesbian mothers do not differ in their parenting ability” “Turning to the children of gay parents, researchers reviewing the scientific literature conclude that studies provide no evidence that psychological adjustment among lesbians, gay men, their children, or other family members is impaired in any significant way and that every relevant study to date shows that parental sexual orientation per se has no measurable effect on the quality of parent-child relationships or on children’s mental health or social adjustment.” “Nor does empirical research support the misconception that having a homosexual parent has a deleterious effect on children’s gender identity (i.e. one’s psychological sense of being male or female) development.” In conclusion, there is plethora of convincing and accredited evidence that shows one’s orientation does not affect a child’s development, whatsoever. This also leads most to believe that any arguments against gay marriage on the basis of parenthood are moot as well. I now turn the argument over to my opponent. I hope he is well prepared. Citations: 1. https://web.archive.org... 2. http://www.psychology.org.au... 3. http://www.readcube.com... 4. http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov...