Children of Gay or Lesbian Parents

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
1. Melanie A. Gold 2. Ellen C. Perrin 3. Donna Futterman 4. Stanford B. Friedman 1. Fellow, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY. 2. Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, MA. 3. Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY. 4. Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY. There are no data to suggest that children who have gay or lesbian parents are different in any aspects of psychological, social, and sexual development from children in heterosexual families. There has been fear that children raised in gay or lesbian households will grow up to be homosexual, develop improper sex-role behavior or sexual conflicts, and may be sexually abused. There has been concern that children raised by gay or lesbian parents will be stigmatized and have conflicts with their peer group, thus threatening their psychological health, self-esteem, and social relationships. These fears and concerns have not been substantiated by research. Pediatricians can facilitate the health care and development of these children by being aware of these and their own attitudes, by educating themselves about special concerns of gay or lesbian parents, and by being a resource and an advocate for children who have homosexual parents.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: