In the modern world, just as they have started becoming more visible, the law and the government have considered them as serious potential adoptive parents (Goldberg, 2007). Additionally, this change has been helped by the fact that the number of lesbian and gay families has been increasing biologically in Australia and other parts of the world.
Despite the increase in lesbian and gay parenting, social workers and the law may have some reservations when it comes to considering the adoption status of a child as far as gay parents are concerned (Prokos & Keene 2010). Additionally, they may wonder and have questions about how children will be raised and how the children feel about themselves and their parents as well (Goldberg, 2007). Therefore, this paper will analyze and evaluate the effects of lesbian and gay households on children considering the psychological, physiological, and legal perspectives.
The issue of gay and lesbian parentingDefining the structure of the gay and lesbian family can be a very difficult task. Additionally, the most common or rather known homosexual family is blended or stepfamilies. By definition, they are lesbian or gay parents who possessed children in their previous heterosexual relationship and then decided to establish a family with another homosexual partner (Dempsey, 2010). Other forms of family structures in this perspective include single lesbian or gay parents, as well as, couples having children together (Prokos & Keene 2010).
Unfortunately, the effects of gay and lesbian families on children being raised by gay or lesbian adoptive parents cannot be in one way or the other be predicted. By so saying, the number of gay and lesbian parents who have adopted children is not known, and because it is a controversial issue, the adopted children are not willing to talk about the issue (Dempsey, 2010). However, the testimony of adopted children, or rather those who have lived and grown up in lesbian and gay households may play a very crucial part in formulating the best results of the effects of gay and lesbian parenting.
Research studies that have been postulated about gay and lesbian marriages are in most cases contradictory (Kurdek, 2005). By so saying, it means that studies that revolve around political and religious groups are conservative and therefore portray negative implications on the children living with gay or lesbian parents whereas studies that show moral support to homosexuality are in one way or the other said to reflect the subjectivity of those who are lesbian or gay themselves (Lytle, Foley, and Aster, 2013).
In other words, clearly what should be done is the postulation of definitive studies that would portray the feelings of a vast majority of children over a very long period. By so doing, when completed, the research will be in a better position to provide a more clear and definitive contribution to the debate about gay and lesbian households.
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