GLBT ~ Fact and Figures about kids with gay parents

Goshwe wouldn't be so foolhardy as to say what the Truth is about kids with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender parents. One fact we are sure of: the research is slim. And another fact: the research has mostly been motivated by family law, which uses the measure of "the best interests of the child" when determining who gets custody of a child in a dispute. Researchers have therefore tried to answer the question, "is having a gay parent worse than having a straight parent on a child's mental health?". The answer is important in custody cases, because a judge's decision could hinge on it. Just to note: of the dozens of studies on kids with gay parents to date, none has shown any noticeable detriment to the child of gay parents. Unfortunately, kids are still being taken away from their parents, solely because their parent is LGBT. But custody cases are not life: that is to say, research on kids with gay parents hasn't yet shown us the broader picture that we as folks with gay parents live in. What kinds of long-term differences occur when you grow up in a family where the roles are not clearly delimited by gender? What benefits, if any, do kids with gay parents get from growing up in, or having access to a supportive gay community? How much of the experience of kids whose parent(s) come out when they are older (the vast majority), are based on that revelation, and how much on the change in the family structure (like a divorce)? Do gay parents pass on useful skills for living in a homophobic society like parents of color often pass on useful skills for living in a racist one? What is the impact on kids who grow up in a gay community when they come out as straight (as most of them do) and no longer, ostensibly, "fit in"? How has AIDS affected kids with gay dads? How has breast cancer (which affects lesbians disproportionately) affected kids with lesbian moms? What are the differences between kids raised in openly gay households versus kids whose parents come out later in life? And why is there next to no research on kids with transgender or bisexual parents? For these more in-depth questions, we have no "empirical" answers yet, but kids with gay parents are talking about them, thinking about them, and just living them everyday. Facts about kids with gay and lesbian parents In the United States alone, there are millions of people with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) parent(s). While research shows that there are no significant developmental differences or negative affects on children of LGBT parents, these youth do report facing significantly more prejudice and discrimination because societal homophobia and transphobia. Youth report that schools are a key place where they face intolerance- from peers, teachers, school administration, and school systems that are affected by the homophobia in our society. According to a 2001 study, students who have LGBT parents experience harassment at the same rate as students who themselves are gay. As of 1990, 6 million to 14 million children in the United States were living with a gay or lesbian parent. (National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, a service of the U.S. Administration for Children and Families.) There is absolutely no evidence that children are psychologically or physically harmed in any way by having LGBT parents. There is, however, much evidence that shows that they are not. People with LGBT parents have the same incidence of homosexuality as the general population, about 10%. No research has ever shown that LGBT parents have any affect on the sexuality of their children. (Patterson, Charlotte J. 1992) Research claims that children with LGBT parents are exposed to more people of the opposite sex than many kids of straight parents. (Rofes, E.E., 1983, Herdt, 1989) Studies have shown that people with LGBT parents are more open-minded about a wide variety of things than people with straight parents. (Harris and Turner, 1985/86) Daughters of lesbians have higher self-esteem than daughters of straight women. Sons are more caring and less aggressive. (Hoeffer, 1981) On measures of psychosocial well-being, school functioning, and romantic relationships and behaviors, teens with same-sex parents are as well adjusted as their peers with opposite-sex parents. A more important predictor of teens' psychological and social adjustment is the quality of the relationships they have with their parents. (National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, 2004) Most "problems" that kids of LGBT parents face actually stem from the challenges of dealing with divorce and the homophobia and transphobia in society rather then the sexual orientation or gender identity of their parents.