Same Sex Parenting

The world in which we live and raise our children is far more complex than that of any other generation. Admittedly, those who came before us had their share of challenges, but none as baffling as those which present themselves today. Perhaps one of the most divisive and murky of these issues is that of same sex parenting. With the emergence of more and more same sex couples into the mainstream, these couples wish to share their love, knowledge and parenting skills to raise happy, functional and productive children. In this quest, however, there have been roadblocks, challenges, and the question of whether or not same sex couples can provide the same benefits to children as would the traditional male/female dynamic. In this paper, several key issues surrounding the same sex parenting issue will be presented and explored; ultimately, upon the conclusion of the research, information based on fact will come to light.

The Origins of Same Sex Parenting

In order to fully understand exactly how same sex parenting has come to the level of frequency and visibility that it now exhibits in the 21st century, one must first grasp exactly from where this child rearing scenario began. While same sex parenting has undoubtedly existed in one form or another as long as there have been children to raise, the practice has quite literally come to the light of day in the last several decades because of legal wrangling and the pursuit of civil rights on the part of same sex couples themselves.

At the heart of the entitlement of same sex couples for the rights and protections like those of so-called "conventional" male/female couples is the Constitutional protection of equal rights for everyone. While race, religion, and so forth are explicitly spelled out in the text of the United States Constitution, as well as many of the constitutions of individual states, sexual preference was not addressed, at least originally. However, pivotal legal challenges, such as those in the states of Hawaii and New Hampshire in recent years have given same sex couples the protections that all other couples enjoy (Allen, 2006).