Debunking the Myths of Same Sex Adoption
Debunking the Myths of Same Sex Adoption
When it comes to choosing an adoptive family for your baby, there are numerous opinions out there about the “right choice” to make. It is important to understand that the only real right choice is one that leads to a lifetime of love and support for your baby. The ability to give love to a child and provide the best life possible is not defined by a gender binary and, therefore, same sex adoptive parents are an incredible option for you to consider when making this decision.
We understand that it can be challenging to navigate through the myths of same sex adoption while researching all of your options, and that is why we are here to help! Unfortunately, as LGBT adoption becomes more normalized, the amount of false information out there grows along with it. Let’s start by working through some of the most deceitful misconceptions so that you can get down to the facts and make the most informed decision possible.
Myth #1: Children Need to Grow Up with a Traditional Family Structure
One of the most misleading and talked about myths of same sex adoption is that children need to be raised by both a mother and a father in order to grow up “normally” and become well-rounded adults. This fallacy is a leftover belief from a time period where society thrived on heteronormative gender roles. The good news is: we’ve progressed and much of the modern day society no longer proscribes to these outdated beliefs.
As a birth mother, it is essential that you know that there have been no studies that show causation between being raised in a same-sex household and a bad outcome for the child. As long as your baby is raised by people who will love and care for them no matter what, then there is no reason to believe that the gender of these two people should play a role. There is no such thing as one definitive “normal” family. There is only love, and that can come from any gender just the same.
Myth #2: Children Raised by Gay Parents are at a Higher Risk of Sexual Abuse
As a birth mother, hearing a statement as jarring as this immediately sets warning sirens off in your head. Throughout your adoption journey, your only concern is ensuring the well-being of your child, making something like this a nightmare. Fortunately, there is no evidence at all to backup this claim.
The main psychologist behind this myth is Paul Cameron, an infamous anti-gay activist who has since been widely criticized and discredited because of these baseless beliefs. In fact, it’s much more likely that children who are victims of sexual abuse are targeted by people outside of their immediate families and not by parents (adoptive or otherwise). It is imperative that you know that this is a completely unfounded fear. If you choose a same sex couple or indevidual to adopt your baby, they will do all they can to protect them — just the same as a heterosexual adoptive family would.
Myth #3: Children of LGBT Parents will Become Gay as well
Besides the fact that your baby growing up to be LGBT is not a bad thing in the slightest, this fear-based myth is also not supported by any actual evidence. Sexuality and sexual orientation are not learned behaviors, but, more likely, something inherent from birth. There have been no studies that show children raised in same-sex households being any more likely to be gay than those raised by heterosexual parents or any other type of adoptive family.
We know that, as a birth mother, you are not very concerned with the sexual orientation of your child. Regardless of who your baby chooses to love in the future, your only wish for them will always be happiness. Choosing the best adoptive parents for your child is the number one way to ensure that he or she grows up safe, loved and happy, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
Myth #4: Children from Same-Sex Households will Be Made Fun of
No birth mother wants to think of the possibility of their child being bullied or harmed in any way. That’s why this myth can seem like a scary one. However, of all of the studies that have been done on this topic, there is no evidence linking gay adoptive parents to an increase in bullying. On top of that, the outdated stigma around gay parenting is a societal problem, rather than an LGBT adoption problem.
Even if this myth did have some truth to it, the solution would not be neglecting to select same sex adoptive parents for your baby. Rather, the solution would lie in educating society as a whole around the topic of LGBT adoption in order to break the stigma all together!
The Myths of Same Sex Adoption
We know that there are a lot of options out there when it comes to adoptive parents for your baby. It can feel overwhelming at times, but all you have to do is trust your gut and go with the choice that feels most right. No one knows your situation better than you, so don’t let anyone else tell you what the “right” choice would be for you and your baby!
At Adoption Choices of Las Vegas, we want to provide you with every route available in terms of adoptive families. LGBT adoptive parents might just be the best choice for you! After all, the ability to provide a happy and stable home is never determined by gender or sexual orientation, but by the capacity for love.
Adoption Choices of Las Vegas has been providing adoption and surrogacy services across in Las Vegas since 2012. For information more general to Nevada, please visit our mother site Adoption Choices of Nevada. For information specific to Reno, please visit our sister site Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Reno. You can also call us to speak to someone now. Contact Us 24/7: CALL OR TEXT 702-474-4673
Meet the Author: Katie Dee is a resident of Long Island, New York and member of the 2020 graduating class of State University of New York (SUNY) at Oneonta. She completed her bachelor’s degree in English, dedicating a year to family studies.
Katie has hands-on classroom experience in the field of writing, editing and child and family studies. Her experience, in both the writing field and that of family studies, gives her a unique perspective in her pieces centered around the field of adoption.