Gay Marriage and its Emotional Impact on Family - Research Paper Example

?Gay Marriage and Its Emotional Impact on Family There was once a time when gay couplings and gay marriage was a taboo topic in our society, The mereidea of same sex people moving in together was enough to make stomachs churn. While even imagining them having kids had the moral and religious activists up in arms. But that social aversion to same sex unions have slowly to turn, with our society now becoming more tolerant and acceptable of such relationships. However, even as we have slowly come to accept same sex couplings to the extent that a number of United States areas have given a legal basis for same sex marriage to now come to fruition, there has been very little discussion in the public arena about how these unions may come to affect the lives of children. Children who, for all intents and purposes, once had a mother and a father but, after a divorce brought about by the discovery of the homosexuality of one parent, now finds the child stuck at a crossroad with one or both of the parents now engaged in same sex relationships. Even worse, is that we tend to know very little about the emotional and psychological effects of same sex couplings on children who were adopted into such a family set up. This paper aims to shed light on this little discussed portion of the same sex debate with the intention of bringing its effects upon children into the center of the argument. Surely there are emotional effects among children of such couplings and we need to find out what those effects are. I will also delve into the current status of same sex unions in the country and look into the existing evidence that will either prove or disprove that the citizens of the United States of America are now ready to accept gay marriage as a part of the definition of marriage and family. The traditional and religious supporters of marriage have chosen to remain steadfast in their definition of the term as one that describes; “a legal contract between a man and a woman in which there is emotional and sexual fidelity, along with childrearing.” (Slick, “How Could Gay Marriage Harm Anyone?”). It is this traditional definition of the word that carries the most impact upon the argument against gay marriage. For all intents and purposes, the law of the land has always been chartered to protect the core family values set up by society as being morally acceptable in a union between people of the opposite sex alone. Therefore, the children that are produced by this union occur through the natural act of fornication between a man and a woman. Children are then raised in the “normal” household as defined by the marriage. It is because of this traditionalist and moralist set up within our society that the children whose parents divorce due to one being a homosexual find themselves becoming emotionally scarred. It is also because of the shunning of such relationships among certain sectors of our society that the children who are lucky enough to be adopted, even if it be in a same sex union, that some of the children face difficulties within our society as they progress into adulthood. Let us consider the following facts that often occur within the environment of a child when that child becomes part of a same sex union be it by divorce or adoption; “(1) Gay marriage reduces the number of children born in society and we need a stable population base; (2) It exposes adopted children within potential homosexual unions to ridicule from others. “ (Slick, How Could Gay Marriage Harm Anyone?”). In such cases, it becomes pretty obvious that the harm inflicted upon these children is quite subjective and as such, does real harm to the tender, young psyche of the child. It is impossible to ignore the facts about the negative impact that gay unions have upon children. Children from previous years who have been raised in same sex households that ended up in divorce have been documented to have a series of psychological and social problems. Research published in the New York Times Health section have reported that; “Young adults from broken homes in which a parent had had a same-sex relationship reported modestly more psychological and social problems in their current lives than peers from other families that had experienced divorce and other disruptions...” (Carey, 2012). The study, which was conducted using conservative funding was published in the Social Science Research journal. The results were based upon observations and interviews of study participants who were either living with a gay parent, born out of wedlock, or within a traditional family that ended in divorce. A number of the participants however, lived with a gay parent from time to time and were made a part of the study in order to allow the observers to gain a legitimate basis for the arguments they presented (Carey, 2012). We have a whole generation of young adults who are coming into this new world of sexual acceptance tarnished by the previously held social and moral stigma of being raised in a homosexual environment. Paul Amato, a Penn State sociologist explains that “We know, for instance, that many people with a gay parent were essentially raised in a step family, and went through a divorce, both of which are associated with modest but real disadvantages... “ (as qtd. in Carey). The statistics from that study brought about chilling results pointing to the fact that gay unions fail to take the emotional and psychological considerations of children into account when they opt to raise the children in that environment. Sociologist Mark Regnerus, who conducted the study concluded that; “Participants who grew up in intact, traditional families reported the lowest average level of problems in their current life, like drug use, unemployment or depressive moods, the study found. Participants who grew up in nontraditional arrangements — with a single, heterosexual parent, in a step family or in a family with a late divorce, for instance — reported higher levels of such problems as adults “ (as qtd. in Carey). The results of this study, though debated as inconclusive by those in support of allowing gay unions to have a chance to raise children, has taken into account that children from divorced households normally come from traditional family set-ups and then find themselves thrust into the uncommon and far controversial same sex households without any warning or preparation. Thus leaving the child quite confused at times. However, the study did not concentrate on the issue of a gay couple raising a child together. The aforementioned information, which is the latest that can be found pertaining to studies about the issue of children raised in same sex families or are adopted into same sex unions finds itself in direct contradiction with a 2010 study that reaffirmed the results of a 2002 report by the American Academy of Pediatrics which states that; “...children who grow up with one or two homosexual parents fared just as well in emotional, cognitive, social, and sexual functioning as children whose parents were heterosexual. Children’s optimal development seems to be influenced more by the nature of the relationships and interactions within the family unit than by the particular structural form it takes. We think it makes sense then to provide a solid legal structure for the family unit to be stable and continue, which is what marriage provides. “ (Holley, 2012). The data opposing the above argument from Holley details the variables and differences that contributed to the outcome of the study conducted by Regnerus as follows in a breakdown by Sprigg (2013): “Compared with children raised by their married biological parents (IBF), children of homosexual parents (LM and GF): Are much more likely to have received welfare (IBF 17%; LM 69%; GF 57%) Have lower educational attainment Report less safety and security in their family of origin Report more ongoing "negative impact" from their family of origin Are more likely to suffer from depression Have been arrested more often If they are female, have had more sexual partners--both male and female As our society continues to evolve and become acceptable of same sex unions and children raised in such unique households, we may also find that the children coming from such family units will be more adjusted and socially accepted in the future. With various states relaxing their same sex union laws to include the adoption of children, the new definition of a family unit will slowly become a part of the norm rather than the exception. In any case, it will be quite possible that future studies will point to the normalcy that occurs within such environments for children that allows them to develop a less scarred and psychologically affected upbringing. With many more states beginning to allow same sex unions and state laws giving these partnerships the same lawful protection that national legislation cannot, it seems quite clear that America is headed down a new path in terms of social acceptance of gay partnerships. It is now fast becoming socially acceptable and normal to see such couplings raising a child together, be it from a previous relationship or an adoption. So is America ready to accept legalized gay marriage? Broad (2009) believes that our society might just be entering the readiness phase for it because; “to be against same-sex marriage is to be against the absurdly obvious progress (and precedent) of law, years of rigorous psychological research and, well, utter joy and happiness...” Although the Defense of Marriage Act (DOGMA) that was passed by congress tried to maintain a permanent definition of marriage as traditonally being between a man and a woman, various states have already proven that the mindset of the public has began changing towards a more modern day and relevant definition of the relationship. A definition that promotes sexual acceptance and does not judge loving relationships and households based upon its composition. Proposition 8 has passed in many states to impressive votes. Further proof that the American beliefs about marriage and family are no longer defined in the tradtional ways that our previous generations were exposed to. Sources Broad, K.L. (2009). Same- sex marriage: the legal and psychological evolution in America, and: courting equality: a documentary history of America's first legal same-sex marriages, NWSA Journal, 21 (1), p 217-223. Cary, B. (2012). Debate on a study examining gay parents. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/health/study-examines-effect- of-having-a-gay-parent.html?_r=0 Holley, v. (2012). Its all about the children (part 3) - the psychological impact of raising children in gay and lesbian families where parents cannot marry. V H Law. Retrieved from http://www.vivianholley.com/the-psychological-impact-of-raising- children-in-gay-and-lesbian-families-where-parents-cannot-marry-2 Slick, M. (n.d.) How could gay marriage harm anyone?. carm.org. Retrieved from http://carm.org/gay-marriage-harm Sprigg, P. (2013). New study on homosexual parents tops all previous research. Family Research Council. Retrieved from http://www.frc.org/issuebrief/new-study-on- homosexual-parents-tops-all-previous-research Read More