Should gay marraige be legalized?
... they will have to confront what it means to be different from their peers. They will not often see themselves or their families reflected on television, in books, or within their social circles. The friends and peers of these children may become astonished that they have two moms or two dads, and some adults may exhibit insensitivity by suggesting that it is not "possible" to have two parents of the same sex. Consequently, children raised in lesbian and gay families will need to develop coping skills to address such heterosexism and homophobia. They might be faced with blatant hostility within school settings or ignorance from friends as well as from the parents of their friends about the nature or safety of their families which could adversely impact a child's self-esteem. Another aspect that should be closely examined is the long term effects on individuals raised within single-sex couples consequently lacking either a father-figure or mother-figure early in life as well as through puberty and early to late adulthood. For example, the American Sociological Association found that girls from father absent families are more likely to become sexually active at a younger age and to have a child outside of marriage and that boys who grow up without their fathers are more likely to have trouble finding and keeping a job in young adulthood. The presence of a father is critical to a child's health, safety and upbringing. Other statistics have shown that nearly two-thirds of adolescent murderers are from fatherless homes. Seventy percent of juveniles...