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Welcome this web page Ms. Lois Abrham. I will be the first to welcome to it as I have placed this here to remove any doubt that my english paper was plaguerized. Why you would do an internet search for any portion of my document is unbeknownest to me I assue that I, William Arthur Helmold, wrote it.
My full name is William Arthur Helmold. I am a student in your ENGWR 300 class at ARC Community College, course code 11661 at 2 P.M on Monday's and Wednesday's. I frequently sit next to Joeseph Cook, my student number is 1079850.
Family abnormal: Gay parents
A mother and a father, perhaps a sibling or two, this is the �normal� family unit that most of us are used to being involved with. Have you ever asked yourself how you would feel if you had grown up in a gay family, if your father kissed his husband or your mothers reminisced about dating past girlfriends? While the number of children brought up in gay households cannot compare to that of those from heterosexual ones, such households do exist and represent a unique part of our society. Do such environments have a profound effect on the sexuality of those raised in them? Can one learn to be gay or is it an innate property of certain peoples that manifests at some point in their life? Should homosexuals even be allowed to be parents?
Currently, Florida is the only state to ban Gays and Lesbians from adopting children. Six others; Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah, have considered placing bans on gay adoption and foster care (Gay Adoption Debate). In recent history there has been many events pertaining to the issues of the sexual orientation of parents, many are in support and many are against such instances occurring. Arguments that claim �� [T]he propensity for pedophilia is far higher among homosexuals� (Dudley 194) and �We cannot assume that a parent�s homosexuality has no effect on a child�� (Dudley 195). These viewpoints show homosexual parents as deranged pedophiles who only want children in their homes for ease of access to please their own desires and that they cannot provide the proper care for developing children. Some have even gone as far to label gays and lesbians as �human garbage� (Benkov 83). In direct contrast to these claims, clinical studies have shown that ��[S]exual orientation of caregivers was irrelevant to the psychological and physical well-being of the children�� (Benkov 93). The thought of homosexual parents being a direct threat to children is generally described as homophobia, though this can easily be argued. Most people that make such statements back-up themselves with �morally-correct� viewpoints like �we�re only doing what�s in the best interest of the child.� The main targets of anti-gay-parents strike at two points, the chance of abuse on a child and the influence that such an environment will have on the child.
�Lesbians and gay men are more likely to molest children� a commonly used statement that strikes at an undisputable point of the child�s well being (Gay Adoption Debate). Many have argued that this is untrue due to the fact that the majority of molestation cases involved heterosexuals, this however is simply due to the fact that homosexuals represent less than three percent of the United State�s population. Statistically, one-third of molestation cases did involve homosexuals this suggests that homosexuals are indeed more likely to abuse children (Dudley 194). Such statistics create a direct bridge between pedophilia and homosexuality that can only be described as ignorant at best. Both homosexuality and pedophilia are unique sexual attractions, not one and the same. �Sexual orientation, whether heterosexual or homosexual, is an adult sexual attraction to others. Pedophilia, on the other hand, is an adult sexual attraction to children� (Gay Adoption Debate). Thus, while the chance of abuse is present in homosexual households, it is also present in heterosexual ones. The claim that children are at an elevated risk of molestation while in the care of a homosexual guardian is ill founded and un-perpetuated.
Just as common as the arguments about physical abuse are those of �psychological abuse�. The theory that children reared in gay homes will face a myriad of problems that simply would not be present if they were brought up in a traditional heterosexual family. Some of this is indisputable, children will have to deal with the issue of having gay parents, but will it truly have a profound impact on their development as a person? Will they be more likely to become homosexuals themselves or resent homosexuals? This brings raise to the age-old question, is homosexuality an inborn quality or does it occur due to up-bringing and moral choice?
Up until the third month inside a mother�s womb, the fetus is neither male nor female, thus the following can be derived, �In the original state, all people are physically and psychologically hermaphroditic.� An evolutionary principle also states that �[C]onnected with each organ, there is a corresponding, mutually dependent function and idea. If the fetus could feel something such as love even in the second month it would have to embrace all beings.� (Hirschfeld 432). In the same unknown process that the cells form male or female gentiles it can be assumed that a physical process can occur which sets in motion the eventually sexual orientation of that person. Thus, homosexuals are born into the world and not created post-birth. All of this however, is nothing more than theories and ideas, in essence there is no way to prove a connection between the physical creation of a person and the sexual orientation that they will eventually pursue. Fundamentally this states that if a child is reared in a homosexual environment they will be no more likely to become homosexuals themselves than if they were raised by heterosexuals.
In contrast to the theories of �gay birth� claims that homosexuality is purely a sociological occurrence are not uncommon. These theories do not always completely deny that is possible for some people to simply be �born gay� but are in favor that one can learn to be gay, that if they had been exposed to a traditional setting they would not have turned out gay. Such cases can include one�s such as Oscar Wilde�s homosexuality. One French writer describes the cause of his orientation as �His mother wanted a daughter, and to console herself, for many years she dressed her son in girls� clothing and put jewelry on him�� this is the suggestive theory that the mother�s wish has a direct impact on the child�s mental state (Hirschfeld 434). The belief that homosexuality can be the direct result of removing a person from their �true personhood� can be idealized in the common pattern of �[A] cruel, confusing mother, and a brutal father � the anger and resentment which the (victim) mother feels for the father in unloaded on these boys � because of the different dispositions and status of the two boys, one rebels from her control and one conforms. One way or the other, the boys have been traumatized away from their natural center� (Dudley 30). While this is not directly stating that either of the hypothetical boys will be homosexuals, it is suggestive that one�s environment can push them away from their pure self, or turning someone from an eventual heterosexual to a homosexual. Arguments like those stated are generally used to help solidify feelings that homosexual parents will have a serious impact on their child�s choices as an adult, which many will claim, is unfair to the child as they should be able to make an unbiased decision. The thing many don�t mention is the bias children raised in hetero homes will have against choosing a gay or lesbian lifestyle.
In the end, there is no right or wrong answer to whether or not homosexuality is a sociological or biological occurrence. Inconclusive data however, works in for or against the legal and moral debate on if gay parents are �good� parents.
Fundamentalism and orthodoxy will both make severe claims on the inability gays and lesbians to create and run successful families (Nichols 103). However, history has proved that homosexual can and frequently do form successful families, as in the case of Jesse and Andy, with their son Erez (Schwegler 268). Their story is a simplistic model of two gay men adopting a child and bringing him up in cultural surroundings and in a civilized manner. While the story ends before and ground-breaking conclusions can be drawn, I doubt anyone would claim the two men to be �bad parents�.
Conclusively, it is hard to say if all gay parents are bad, in fact it�s impossible. Homosexuality can be a innate property of people or in some cases it can be learned, studies have shown that �All of the available evidence demonstrates that the sexual orientation of parents has no impact on the sexual orientation of their children and that children of lesbian and gay parents are no more likely than any other child to grow up to be gay� (Gay Adoption Debate). It is true that some homosexual are not fit to raise children, but this is also true with many heterosexuals. To be reared in a homosexual environment is to have an expansive view of the world from a young age, a blessing in my eyes.