The issue of gay marriage has been stirring controversy among the nation for some years. Previously considered a taboo subject and only discussed within the gay community, the issue of gay marriage has made it to the forefront of national headlines. Many states are currently allowing the issue to be decided on by the voters. However, the gay community still faces some obstacles in their fight for equality. While the issue of gay marriages is gaining more acceptances, homosexual couples who choose to marry still face issues unlike those of interracial couples in the past. Like interracial couples in the 1950s and 1960s, homosexuals have had to fight for their rights to marry the person of his or her choosing. There were laws dating back
One of the biggest issues facing homosexual couples who want to marry is the desire for children and how a gay parent can affect a child. In its 2004 summary, the American Psychological Association (APA) states that “research has suggested that a child’s sexual identity, including gender identity, gender role behavior and sexual orientation develop in the same way in a child that is raised in a gay household as a child that is raised in a traditional family unit” (Patterson, 2004a). Scientific evidence has shown that children who grow up with one or both parents who are homosexual did just as well in emotional, cognitive, social, and sexual functioning as the children of heterosexual parents. The study has also shown evidence that a child’s emotional and psychological developments are influenced more by the nature of the relationships and interactions of the child within the family unit than by its own unique structural form. Furthermore, studies conducted in the last decade have shown no systematic differences between homosexual and heterosexual parents in emotional health, parenting skills, and attitudes toward parenting. No findings have cited of additional