Lesbian+Parents+and+Their+Children

Lesbian Parents and Their Children: Research Paper Lesbian parenting is an unorthodox practice that is becoming increasingly more common in the United States. (//Dominus, Susan//.) Homosexuality is a controversial matter both politically and socially throughout the world, and thus lesbian parenting is a topic that is currently under debate. Fortunately, the acceptance of lesbian parenting has increased in the United States; according to a public opinion poll in the beginning of 2011, gay and lesbian parents are increasingly more accepted than single mothers. (//Donelan, Jennifer.)// However, there are still parts of the United States—mainly conservative America—who look down upon lesbian parents and their children. To fully understand American society’s outlook towards lesbian parenting, one must first look at the history of society’s acceptance of homosexuality, the views of Christianity and Judaism (America’s two most common religions) on homosexuality, America’s history with lesbian parents, and then look into the statistics and outcomes of children raised by lesbian parents. Although America is considered a liberal country, part of its conservative society views lesbian parents and their children to be immoral and pitiful, while others see them as equal to orthodox families. One of the most celebrated and respected early civilizations was ancient Greece; even then, homosexuality was a topic of dispute. In certain regions of Ionia, the eros (sexual lust) of the same sex was illegal, but in Ellis, Bototia and Thebes, it was allowed and celebrated. (//Pickett, Brent.)// The word “lesbian” actually originated from Greek, as the poet Sappho of the island Lesbos wrote in her poetry of her love of women. (//Brabant, Malcom.)// The homosexuality of Alexander the Great, the Greek god Zeus, and heroes such as Achilles and Hercules is well known, and for Greeks it was common for one to be bisexual and not homosexual. However, the ancient Romans began to have an increase of hostility towards homosexuality, although there were regional exceptions. (//Pickett, Brent.)// What the Bible says about homosexuality is currently a widely debated topic; some interpret passages to mean that homosexuality is a sin, while others say that it simply means homosexuality is just unusual. (//Pickett, Brent.)// Unfortunately, throughout the late twelfth century, views of homosexuality differed from that of the ancient Romans and Greeks as Christianity became popular throughout Europe. With the persecution of the minorities-- those who practiced religions other than Christianity— came the persecution of homosexuality. The Catholic Church made homosexual sex and masturbation illegal during the persecutions. (//Pickett, Brent.)// In //the King James Bible//, Leviticus 18:22 says, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” The //Living Bible// says, “Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an enormous sin.” (//Robinson, B.A.)// Leviticus is in both the Bible and the Torah, but Christianity and Judaism have multiple different sects within them, ranging from fundamentalist, orthodox conservative to very liberal. The way that people read the Torah or the Bible depends on what sect they are from. The more fundamentalist Christian will read the Bible literally, taking it word for word, but the more liberal Christian will interpret the Bible differently. (//The Bible Tells Me So.)// The Reverend Chris Glaser, M.Div, states that there are Christians who “look to a list of those who will not enter the kingdom of heaven in 1 Corinthians and claim gay people are on it.” However, Glaser goes on to state, “What’s important for Christians to know is that Jesus never condemned homosexuality.” //(Glaser, Chris.)// The two main religions of the United States are Christianity and Judaism. As of 2007, it was estimated that 78.5% of the population was Christian, while 1.7% was Jewish. (//Central Intelligence Agency.)// While some churches claim that homosexuality is an abominable sin and deny admittance of homosexuals and their families, the United Church of Christ states in its //In Support of Equal Marriage Rights for All//, “The Resolution… Whereas children of families headed by same-gender couples should receive all legal rights and protections.” (//The United Church of Christ.)// In the South, the region known to be mostly conservative, homosexuals were once afraid to come out, especially as a gay church was bombed in the 1980s in Jacksonville, Florida. (//Tavernise, Sabrina.)// However, according to demographer Gary Gates of UCLA, same-sex couples with children is more common in the South than in other regions of the country, and in Jacksonville, there is a church that opens its doors to gay couples with children. (//Tavernise, Sabrina.)// However, in Boulder, Colorado, there was a case in 2010 when the Sacred Heart of Jesus school denied enrollment to a pre-schooler with lesbian mothers. The parish priest Reverend Bill Breslin, stated of the matter, “It is not about punishing the child for the sins of his or her parents. It is simply that the lesbian couple is saying that their relationship is a good one that should be accepted by everyone; and the Church cannot agree to that.” (//Netter, Sarah//.) Although these examples are of Christian matters, views of homosexuality in Judaism also differ similarly depending on the sect. The lesbian custody movement of the 1970s was a groundbreaking revolution in the United States, where lesbians encountered extreme difficulty. (//Mom’s Apple Pie: The Heart of the Lesbian Mothers’ Custody Movement.//) In the case of Bottoms v. Bottoms, mother Sharon Bottoms was raising her son with her lesbian partner when Bottoms’ mother sued to gain custody of her grandson. The trial judge stated of Sharon Bottoms, “I will tell you first that the mother's conduct is illegal. It is a Class 6 felony in the Commonwealth of Virginia. I will tell you that it is the opinion of this Court that her conduct is immoral. And it is the opinion of this Court that the conduct of Sharon Bottoms renders her an unfit parent.” The Virignia Supreme Court agreed, stating, "conduct inherent in lesbianism is punishable as a . . . felony." (//American Bar Association//.) In 2003, however, the North Dakota Supreme Court unanimously agreed to let a lesbian mother maintain custody of her children. This was a landmark decision, as in 1981 the court had previously ruled that homosexual parents were harmful to children, as the children might suffer from the disapproving hostility from society. //(American Civil Liberties Union.)// Although courts have ruled that having gay parents is harmful to their children, scientific studies have shown the opposite. In 2010, a study done by Nanette Gartell, professor of psychiatry at UCSF and law professor at UCLA, and Henry Bos, behavioral scientist at the University of Amsterdam, found surprising results. Their study found that children who lived with lesbian mothers scored higher than children of heterosexual parents on a few psychological measures of self-esteem. They also had higher performances in academics and were unlikely to have behavioral issues such as aggression//. (Park, Alice.)// Although these children do well in school, they and their families are still met with mistreatment from school systems. In 2010, a Catholic school in Boulder, Colorado, denied enrollment to a preschool student because their mothers were lesbians. The preschooler, who was a student at the school, was allowed to finish the school year but was not to be readmitted. (//Netter, Sarah.)// Alison Delpercio, the manager of the Family Project section of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, urges people to gain insight on what children of homosexual parents have been through in the United States school systems. Delcerpio cites sources that state that most children of homosexual parents have been bullied or ostracized at school because of who their parents are. She also states that there is a national organization called Colage that supports those with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents. //(Delpercio, Alison,)// From the beginning of the ostracism of homosexuals in ancient Greece to today, lesbian parenting is something that has only begun recently. As lesbians began to come out in the 1970s and fight for their children’s custody, a new type of family began: lesbian mothers and their children. Becoming increasingly common in the United States, they still meet opposition through society, politics and religion, and are often mistreated, although tolerance and acceptance are growing.