LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Does it Make a Difference if Parents are Gay or Straight? |
by Aimee Gelnaw |
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered parents are finally coming of age. After decades in the closet and more recent developments of coming out into and becoming part of their local communities, the outcomes of LGBT parenting are becoming evident. New research by Judith Stacey and Timothy J. Biblarz shows that LGBT parents are not only, by and large, good parents, but that LGBT parenting may impact children and the world into which they are brought in positive ways no one ever dreamed.
Any legitimate discussion of parenting must first focus on the best interest of the children. Stacey and Biblarz of the University of Southern California have done just that. Here is where the good news lies. Children brought up by lesbians and gay men are well adjusted, have good self-esteem, and are as likely to achieve high educational attainments as children raised in more traditional heterosexual families. Moreover, there appear to be advantages to children raised in lesbian-headed families in that co-mothers tend to be more involved in their children's lives and more nurturing in addition to exhibiting greater harmony in their parenting approaches. Boys raised with LGBT parents tended to be more nurturing and affectionate and to be less sexually aggressive than boys raised in more traditional heterosexual families. Girls with LGBT parents tended to have higher career aspirations to non-traditional gender occupationsdoctor, lawyer, engineer, and astronautand to more freely explore diverse opportunities rather than focussing solely on more traditional female roles. The good news is that the study seems to indicate that our children may be different from other children in qualitative ways, while remaining on par in the quantifiable measures such as academic achievement. It seems these differences are ones that can only possibly have a positive impact on the world in which we live. In a society where the statistics indicate that males perpetrate most of the violence and where girls have been prevented from reaching their full potential, our children offer a ray of hope. Who knew a "kinder, gentler world" would start with LGBT parents?! Aimee Gelnaw is Executive Director of the Family Pride Coalition. Gelnaw has a long history of work on LGBT family issues and was instrumental in the formation of Rainbow Families of Chicago and Lambda Families of New Jerseytwo examples of local parenting groups. Family Pride Coalition is comprised of individual members and more than 160 parenting groups in the United States, Canada, and Europe, as well as Hong Kong, Mexico, and South Africa. Its mission is to advance the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered parents and their families through mutual support, community collaboration, and public understanding. More information is available at www.familypride.org. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 6, June 1, 2001. |