Lesbian couples raise well-adjusted teenagers

[hardheadjarhead]

Lesbian couples raise well-adjusted teenagers

15 November 04

NewScientist.com news service

Teenagers raised by lesbian mothers show no developmental differences compared to those brought up by heterosexual parents, according to the first large national study in the US.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996670


Well, more science for the Moral Majority to refute...


Regards,


Steve

 

[Feisty Mouse]

Not a bad sample, for such a small percentage of the population (lesbian couple parents). I'm glad they worked on the adolescence period, too - I think the time many people thought that differences would emerge, as adolescents develop sexually.

Glad to see some research on it.

 

[raedyn]

It's not a large percentage of the population, to be sure. But it's more than you would think. Many lesbian mothers are assumed by everyone else to be single mothers - it doesn't occur to most people that the 'roommate' or 'friend' might be her partner and a parent.

(Back in the day) At my elementary school, for instance, out of 300 kids I knew of 8 that grew up with a lesbian couple as parents. There were probably more that I didn't know about, too. It's not a huge number, but I think everyone else in the school might have been surprised to learn it was that many.

 

[MA-Caver]

Hmm, well adjusted eh?
Kid: Mommy, why is that man kissing that woman?
Mom 1: That's because they're queer.
Mom 2: No, it's because they don't know any better.

 

[raedyn]

I hope that was in jest, MACaver.

 

[MA-Caver]

of course it was... :asian:

 

[raedyn]

My Mom is a lesbian. In fact, my MomS are lesbianS. My mom came out when I was 2ish, and that's why my parents divorced. Both my mom and my dad were in long term committed relationships as long as I can remember, and I lived half-and-half at each home. They both were in love with women. It was all perfectly natural and happy for me until I got to school and I heard kids calling each other 'fag' and 'dyke' and 'homo' as an insult. I was so confused. I knew what those words meant, but I didn't know they were insults! I came home upset and my moms had to explain to be about prejudice and hatred. I'd say that's when I started to lose my innocence.
So my mom's orientation has never been an issue for me, but other people's hatred toward my Mom and me because of it has created problems. I could write a book. Maybe I should write a book.

Funniest question ever asked of me regarding my Mom being a lesbian:
Lesbians in your house? For real? Does that turn you on?
A 16 year old male seriously asked me that question. He was seriously interested, too. *rolls eyes* It's still my parents, man. Do YOU want to think about yr parents having sex? Not likely! GROSS!

 

[raedyn]

Lets face it MACaver. No child gets old enough to ask a question without having seen lots of straight couples kissing, holding hands, etc. It permeates TV, movies, you see it on the street... Nobody makes a big deal of it if they're straight. But if it's a queer couple WHOO BOY! call up the censors, make a protest parade it's the end of civilized society.

 

[hardheadjarhead]

I hope that was in jest, MACaver.

That actually sounds like a joke that would have originated in the Lesbian community.

One wonders what the Fundies' speculation would be as to how the sons of lesbian moms should turn out. Hyper heterosexual? I'm assuming they think modeling is simpler than that, and that gender kissing like gender will result in a son picking his own gender to experiement with and eventually settle down with.



Regards,


Steve

 

[Feisty Mouse]

My Mom is a lesbian. In fact, my MomS are lesbianS. My mom came out when I was 2ish, and that's why my parents divorced. Both my mom and my dad were in long term committed relationships as long as I can remember, and I lived half-and-half at each home. They both were in love with women. It was all perfectly natural and happy for me until I got to school and I heard kids calling each other 'fag' and 'dyke' and 'homo' as an insult. I was so confused. I knew what those words meant, but I didn't know they were insults! I came home upset and my moms had to explain to be about prejudice and hatred. I'd say that's when I started to lose my innocence.
So my mom's orientation has never been an issue for me, but other people's hatred toward my Mom and me because of it has created problems. I could write a book. Maybe I should write a book.

Funniest question ever asked of me regarding my Mom being a lesbian:
Lesbians in your house? For real? Does that turn you on?
A 16 year old male seriously asked me that question. He was seriously interested, too. *rolls eyes* It's still my parents, man. Do YOU want to think about yr parents having sex? Not likely! GROSS!

Seriously, you *should* write a book. It would help this "next generation" of same-sex couple families.

 

[MA-Caver]

That actually sounds like a joke that would have originated in the Lesbian community.
Regards,
Steve

Thank you, that is the intent of the joke. Ok, Raedyn didn't see it that way. Can't help that. But I've friends who would've seen it that way and they're lesbians, gays and straights. Sooo, lighten up. :asian:

 

[raedyn]

Thank you, that is the intent of the joke. Ok, Raedyn didn't see it that way. Can't help that. But I've friends who would've seen it that way and they're lesbians, gays and straights. Sooo, lighten up. :asian:

I'm sorry that you misunderstood my posts. Perhaps my tone didn't communicate clearly through this medium. I expected you meant it as a joke, but I was just checking. I purposely didn't jump all over you because I didn't think the comment was malicious. And yeah, I could certainly hear gay friends of mine joking about that. :ultracool Absolutely no hard feelings.

But I've had all kinds of awful things said to me about this subject, so nothing surprises me anymore. For example, people have told me that I am going to hell because my mom is a lesbian. Hunh? I don't get it. And this is when I was about 11 years old. Even if a person truly thinks Mom is going to hell... how could that possibly reflect on 11 yr old me - an innocent child?

 

[shesulsa]

Lesbian couples raise well-adjusted teenagers

*sigh* so that's what I've been doing wrong ...

 

[hardheadjarhead]

Even if a person truly thinks Mom is going to hell... how could that possibly reflect on 11 yr old me - an innocent child?

Its the "sins of the father visited upon the son" concept...but in this case the sins of the mother. It has Biblical precedent. The whole notion of the fall of man revolves around it.




Regards,


Steve

 

[raedyn]

*sigh* so that's what I've been doing wrong ...

*giggle*

 

[Rich Parsons]

Thank you, that is the intent of the joke. Ok, Raedyn didn't see it that way. Can't help that. But I've friends who would've seen it that way and they're lesbians, gays and straights. Sooo, lighten up. :asian:

Actually MA Caver, the U.S. Supreme court rules that it was nto the intent but the impact that mattered. So, in this written forum if you had used a laughing smiley, or put in ** Joking ** or jk for just kidding then it would have been much easier.

I also took your Joke as being off color. I also have friends who was lesbian, who even asked me to help them by donating half of the zygote material. One could not understand why I would say no. They other really understood that I would want to be involved, and respected that they wanted this to be their child. Yet, you were able to set things straight so no harm and no foul, only sometimes people cannot see you laughing , and may not know what is on your mind. :idunno:

Peace
:asian:

 

[loki09789]

Lesbian couples raise well-adjusted teenagers

15 November 04

NewScientist.com news service

Teenagers raised by lesbian mothers show no developmental differences compared to those brought up by heterosexual parents, according to the first large national study in the US.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996670


Well, more science for the Moral Majority to refute...


Regards,


Steve

So again, on the issue of child rearing, the point is a stable and loving environment more than it is any issue of sexual preference or religious denomination or race, creed or color issues....

Take, for example the Columbine shooting as an example of how it is time and attention to parenting more than it is about income level too.

 

[sma_book]

To begin with, as the parent of two teen-aged daughters, I submit that there is *NO* such thing as a well-adjusted teenager

That being said, I too have gay parents - both my dad and mom, although each realized it/admitted it at different times. Their sexuality had no impact on mine; what did have an impact, as raedyn mentioned, was society's attitude towards their sexuality, and also my parents' accompanying view of how they fit in the world. My mother was awfully innocent in her knowledge of the world at the time she discovered she was gay [was a nun for many years, but that's another chapter...] Until her understanding of what 'gay' meant grew, she ended up being very closeted, and very afraid - something I don't think was terribly uncommon in the 1970's. That fear and that self-doubt impacted me more than anything she chose to do in the bedroom.

I guess I fibbed - there was another impact. I lost my taste for organized religion. Most were intent on letting me know that the mother that raised me through all sorts of good and bad times was destined to hell. Seemed a bit, well... harsh. :idunno:

- Sheryl