Реферат: Gay Parenting Essay Research Paper Lesbian and

Mental Health of Lesbians and Gay Men

The psychiatric, psychological, and social-work professions do not consider homosexual orientation to be a mental disorder.

More than 20 years ago, the American Psychiatric Association removed "homosexuality" from its list of mental disorders,

stating that "homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational

capabilities" (American Psychiatric Association, 1980). In 1975, the American Psychological Association took the same

position and urged all mental health professionals to help dispel the stigma of mental illness that had long been associated with

homosexual orientation (American Psychological Association, 1975). The National Association of Social Workers has a similar

policy (National Association of Social Workers, 1994).

The decision to remove homosexual orientation from the list of mental disorders reflects the results of extensive research,

conducted over three decades, showing that homosexual orientation is not a psychological maladjustment (Gonsiorek, 1991;

Reiss, 1980; Hart, Roback, Tittler, Weitz, Walston, & McKee, 1978). The social and other circumstances in which lesbians

and gay men live, including exposure to widespread prejudice and discrimination, often cause acute distress; but there is no

reliable evidence that homosexual orientation per se impairs psychological functioning (Freedman, 1971; Gonsiorek, 1991;

Hart et al., 1978; Hooker, 1957; Reiss, 1980).

Fitness of Lesbians and Gay Men as Parents

Beliefs that gay and lesbian adults are not fit parents likewise have no empirical foundation (Cramer, 1986; Falk, 1989; Gibbs,

1988; Patterson, 1996). Lesbian and heterosexual women have not been found to differ markedly either in their overall mental

health or in their approaches to child rearing (Kweskin & Cook, 1982; Lyons, 1983; Miller, Jacobsen, & Bigner, 1981;

Mucklow & Phelan, 1979; Pagelow, 1980; Rand, Graham, & Rawlings, 1982; Thompson, McCandless, & Strickland, 1971),

nor have lesbians’ romantic and sexual relationships with other women been found to detract from their ability to care for their

children (Pagelow, 1980). Recent evidence suggests that lesbian couples who are parenting together tend to divide household

and family labor relatively evenly (Hand, 1991; Patterson, 1995a) and to report

satisfaction with their couple relationships (Koepke, Hare, & Moran, 1992; Patterson, 1995a). Research on gay fathers has

similarly found no reason to believe them unfit as parents (Barret & Robinson, 1990; Bigner and Bozett, 1990; Bozett, 1980,

1989).

B. Children of Lesbian and Gay Parents

In addition to judicial concerns about gay and lesbian parents themselves, courts have voiced three major kinds of fears about

effects of lesbian or gay parents on children.

The first general concern is that development of sexual identity will be impaired among children of lesbian or gay parents-for