Brianna Williams

Dear future president of the United States,

During my life, I’ve noticed the arguments that erupt when the topic of conversation is about gay parenting. The issue begins the moment people start to show prejudice about gay couples. They argue that they can’t be exceptional parents because of who they love. They further state that the couples are teaching their kids that being gay is a good thing or that they’re making their kid(s) confused about their own sexuality, leading to the child not knowing how to have a relationship with someone of the opposite or same gender.

A child deserves love no matter what gender or sexuality the parents have. Being a gay, bisexual, or lesbian parent doesn’t determine how you love your own child. Just because the child has parents who are described as different from the rest, doesn't mean the kid will act different from anyone else. A lot of people who are against gay rights, believe that the child will act a certain way or have behavior problems just because their parents love a person of the same gender.

Having gay couples as parents doesn’t determine if the child will have unsuccessful relationships in their lives. Having abusive, controlling, or drugged out parents could determine that because, in your life, you could be like them. Being gay doesn’t mean you can’t have a successful relationship, as stated in “Children of gay couples impacted by parents relationship but not sexual orientation: study” on Huffingtonpost.com written by Samantha Escobar. In the study, Rachel H. Farr says, “It was the parents who were most satisfied with their arrangements with each other who had children with fewer behavior problems, such as acting out or showing aggressive behavior”. Being a son or daughter of gay or lesbian parents has nothing to do with how their child will deal with their day to day lives.

In another article that I read, “Research supports gay and lesbian parenting” by Kathy Belge on lesbianlife.about.com, Kathy Belge asked Dr. Abbie Goldberg about LGBT families. Dr. Abbie said, “All the studies, no matter how people did the research found the same thing, which is that kids are not disadvantaged by being raised in lesbian and gay parent families.” Dr. Abbie Goldberg continues and states that “Lesbian and gay parents are less conventional in terms of gender norms, so they’re more likely to encourage their kids to not be limited by their own gender for certain interests, activities, toys, the way that they dress.”

Personality and how someone acts also can be determined by who they hang out with and what kind of environment they grew up in. That is what should mostly determine someone's personality, not by what gender both their parents are. Every city, state, and country has a different culture/environment in them that people learn to adapt with. Different people will often influence how another person acts, perceives, or conforms to something. Another aspect that can differ a person's behaviors is social norms and rules that have been created among that specific norm. Nobody can blame a gay or lesbian parent as the only one who causes the way their child will behave throughout their life.

Many studies have shown, that children’s well-being is affected a lot more in the relationship they’ve made with their parents rather than the sexual orientation of their parents. If society was different than it is now, would straight parents be frowned upon, too? We believe that same sex marriage is just the same as straight marriage because, even though it’s not man and woman, there is still just as much love in both straight and gay marriages.

Mr. or Ms. President, I want gay parenting to be more accepted the eyes of so many people. It’s never been a bad thing, it’s never hurt anybody, yet people still believe it’s ruining the lives of many. A loving couple, whether a man with a man or a woman with a woman, shouldn’t have a harder time adopting a child compared to an unsteady household with a straight couple who are always fighting with one another. Whatever gender you love shouldn’t determine immediately how your child will turn out as their life progresses.