Persuasive Essay - LGBT Adoption

In addressing the issue of Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adoption, better known as LGBT adoption, one must recognize the importance of the “best interests of the child” standard. This moral idea simply states that the decisions the court makes regarding a child’s placement must directly reflect what would be best for the adolescent. So, do same-sex couples lack the skills to successfully raise a family? To date, all research in the area of LGBT adoption has come to the same conclusion: Children of LGBT parents grow up just as successful as those of heterosexual parents, and are no less happy and well-adjusted. This justifies the conjecture that it is not in the best interests of the child to disallow LGBT adoption.

Many argue that all youth should have a male as well as a female role model to guide them through the process of growing up. Though this argument is valid, it is not only the parents of an adolescent who influence their behavior. Society and the social environment in which the child is raised have an effect as well. Descendants of single parents are able to find positive male and female role models within their family members and friends. This is the same, and should be considered the same, for children of LGBT parents. “Good parenting” is not influenced by the orientation of the couple, but rather by the parents’ ability to create a loving, supportive home – an ability that does not rely on whether a parent is gay or straight. LGBT couples have the same capability to mold a minor into an upstanding, successful, intelligent citizen, as straight couples.

A common misconception regarding LGBT adoption is that the child will become homosexual. It has been proven that this statement is false. Many children of heterosexual parents have also been known to become homosexual. The sexuality of the adolescent is not determined by the sexuality of the parents. It is also believed that a child of LGBT parents may be hassled based on the sexual preference of their parents. One will be teased, picked on, and socially stigmatized at some point in time and all of this will be experienced for other reasons. It is quite probable for youth to be bullied for physical incentives such as being overweight or looking different. Children of both homosexual and heterosexual parents are going to experience some sort of persecution and the acceptance of a child in to mainstream society is irrelevant of whether the parents are straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

All people, whether they are heterosexual or not, have the right to adopt. The suitability of a parent should be based, not on the sexual orientation of the person, but on their ability to create a nurturing home from which the child can prosper. Offspring of LGBT couples will grow up to be equally as fortunate and fruitful as those of heterosexual parents.