Parenting and Families
According to the 2000 census, 33% of female same-sex couple households and 22% of male same-sex couple households reported at least one child under the age of 18 living in their home. As greater acceptance and understanding of LGBT people has come about, more and more have decided to adopt, become foster care parents, and take advantage of advanced reproductive technology (Too High A Price: The Case Against Restricting Gay Parenting, 2006).
While there have always been LGBT parents, there has been an increase in the number of LGBT people who are making that choice.
For many years people assumed that if someone was lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, they either didn’t want to or couldn’t become parents. This was never the case, but as equality moves forward, we’re just seeing it more frequently. LGBT people are just like everyone else – some want to have children and some don’t. But being LGBT is quickly becoming less of a barrier to starting a family.
There is no evidence that LGBT people are not good parents, or that there are negative emotional or psychological impacts on their children. On the contrary, studies have consistently shown that there are no differences in the emotional and psychological development between children with gay parents or children with heterosexual parents. (Lesbian and Gay Parenting, 2005).
Unfortunately, many anti-gay organizations and legislators are trying to ban LGBT people from adopting, becoming foster parents, or even allowing second-parent adoptions for same-sex couples, in spite of the overwhelming evidence that they are just as well-qualified as their heterosexual counterparts.
Families are about love, not about narrow definitions – but it is critical that we are advocates for equality in law and legislation to be sure that families of all kinds are kept together
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