Monday, February 15, 2010

LGBT Parenting Show

On February 15th, we welcomed guest co-host Fallon Cunning, parent of three, along with Michelle Boyce to discuss the topic of LGBT parenting.

Special guests on the show included Rachel Epstein of the LGBTQ Parenting Network, Joan Wiley of TransParents Canada, and Freya, the daughter of a lesbian.

A very special 'This is Me' segment brings us the voice of Jessie Boyce, a young lady who speaks out on her diverse family dynamic. When asked what was the one thing she would like to say to her Moms, she replied: "I love you very much."

Michelle and Fallon addressed the issues and challenges of being a parent under the LGBT spectrum, from their own experiences and those of our guests, as well as the subsequent effect harassment, prejudice and intolerance, from society and schools, has on the wellbeing and happiness of their children.

Freya points out that even phrases people brush aside, such as, "It's so gay," have a tremendous impact on children of LGBT parents.

Michelle also mentions a study that concluded that if children are embarrassed by their home situation and they don't receive the support in their home that they might otherwise receive, that the child is significantly more susceptible to bullying at school. So while bullying may be a 'school problem' (zero tolerance is zero tolerance ), the best thing a parent can do is to provide a supportive environment for the child at home.

We thank all of our guests for sharing their experiences, stories and expertise with us. Unfortunately, technical difficulties prevented us from having Paul Carr of Gay Fathers Toronto on the show as scheduled - however, for more information on the organization, please see their website at: http://www.gayfathers-toronto.com/

For more information on TransParent Canada, you can also check out their website at: http://www.transparentcanada.ca/

-------------------------------------

The Journal of Marriage and Family, published online January 20, 2010, released the findings of scholars at NYU and USC, that while children do need two parents, the gender of those two parents did not make a difference.

"Sociologist Timothy Biblarz of the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences says in a release about the study:

Significant policy decisions have been swayed by the misconception across party lines that children need both a mother and a father. Yet, there is almost no social science research to support this claim. One problem is that proponents of this view routinely ignore research on same-gender parents. The bottom line is that the science shows that children raised by two same-gender parents do as well on average as children raised by two different-gender parents. This is obviously inconsistent with the widespread claim that children must be raised by a mother and a father to do well."

No comments:

Post a Comment