Реферат: Gay Parenting Essay Research Paper Lesbian and

Another area of great diversity among families with a gay or lesbian parent concerns the degree to which a parent’s gay or

lesbian identity is accepted by other significant people in a child’s life. Huggins (1989) found a tendency for children whose

fathers were rejecting of maternal lesbian identities to report lower self-esteem than those whose fathers were neutral or

positive. Due to small sample size and absence of significance tests, this finding should be regarded as preliminary and

suggestive rather than definitive. Huggins’ (1989) finding does, however, raise questions about the extent to which reactions of

important adults in a child’s environment can influence responses to discovery of a parent’s gay or lesbian identity.

Effects of the age at which children learn of parental homosexuality have also been a topic of study. Paul (1986) found that

offspring who were told of parental gay, lesbian, or bisexual identity either in childhood or in late adolescence found the news

easier to cope with than those who first learned of it during early to middle adolescence. Huggins (1989) also reported that

those who learned of maternal lesbianism in childhood had higher self-esteem than did those who were not informed of it until

they were adolescents. From a clinical perspective, it is widely agreed that early adolescence is a particularly difficult time for

children to learn that a father is gay or that a mother is lesbian (Bozett, 1980; Pennington, 1987; Schulenberg, 1985).

Some investigators have also raised questions about the potential role of peer support in helping children to deal with issues

raised by having a gay or lesbian parent. Lewis (1980) was the first to suggest that children’s silence on the topic of parental

sexual orientation with peers and siblings might add to their feelings of isolation from other children. All of the 11 adolescents

studied by O’Connell (1993) reported exercising selectivity about when they disclosed information about their mothers’ lesbian

identities. Paul (1986) found that 29% of his young adult respondents had never known anyone else with a gay, lesbian, or

bisexual parent, suggesting that the possibility of isolation is very real for some young people. Potentially

negative effects of any such isolation have not, however, been uncovered in research to date. Lewis (1980) suggested that

children would benefit from support groups consisting of other children of gay or lesbian parents, and young people interviewed

by O’Connell (1993) agreed, but systematic evaluations of such groups have not been reported.

In summary, research on diversity among families with gay and lesbian parents and on the potential effects of such diversity on

children is only beginning (Martin 1989; Patterson, 1992, 1995b) Existing data on children of lesbian mothers suggest that

children may fare better when mothers are in good psychological health and living with a lesbian partner with whom they share

child care. Children may find it easier to deal with issues raised by having lesbian or gay parents if they learn of parental sexual

orientation during childhood rather than during adolescence. Existing data also suggest the value of a supportive milieu, in which

parental sexual orientation is accepted by other significant adults and in which children have contact with peers in similar

circumstances. The existing data are, however, still very sparse, and any conclusions must be seen as tentative.

It is clear, however, that existing research provides no basis for believing that children’s best interests are served by family