Are Gays Better Parents?

3. Gild Every Lily. When the media are riding a giant story like this one, they can be relied on to throw caution to the wind and start buying into pure silliness. Thus, homosexuals are not just human beings deserving of all the rights and privileges of other human beings. They're now superhuman, capable of stunning feats no hetero could hope to achieve.

In a health column of July 1, Times columnist Jane Brody noted that there's extensive research showing that "children raised by gay parents are not significantly different from those raised by straight parents." Fair enough, but that's not all. A new study reveals "that if anything, gay parents might do better, having gone to considerable trouble to become parents and being determined to raise children who respect themselves and others while remaining tolerant of diversity."

Got that? Gay men and women are not like other parents -- who, last time I checked, were good, bad, and mediocre, depending on the individual. No, gays actually have an edge. To report on such a study is legitimate. To report on it uncritically, as Brody did, is absurd. In their enthusiasm for a noble cause, media people often wind up undermining it.

So this has been a big summer for the homosexual movement. The gay train does seem to have left the station and it's picking up steam as it moves towards general mainstream acceptance, right?

In some respects, yes. But, for me, the above quoted passage illustrates why the gay movement won't be achieving complete acceptance anytime soon.

Are gays better parents than heterosexuals? In some cases, sure. Is it because of their sexual preference? Not a chance.

A parent, gay or straight, will develop decent parenting skills if they love the child and they're interested in being a parent. I saw a story on the 11 o'clock news last night about a lady who locked her teenage kids in their rooms (windows boarded with plywood) because she didn't want to deal with them. She had no parenting skills simply because she wasn't interested in being a parent; they interfered with her lifestyle.

She was a terrible parent. Did her sexual preference play any role in her treatment of the kids? No. She wasn't interested in being a mom so she wasn't.

And there have been many gay parents who do a just fine job of raising normal, mentally healthy kids. Does their sexual preference have anything to do with it? No. If the kid comes out good, it's because they cared enough to work on being the best possible parent they could be. It is a function of love and effort.

Now both groups, heterosexual parents and homosexual parents are large enough to be described with a Bell Curve. In each group a certain number of parents will be excellent, most are decent, and a few suck. And I find it hard to believe that sexual orientation is going to do anything to shift those Curves in favor of the homosexuals.

Homosexuals are, like heterosexuals, regular human beings who are bound to make mistakes. Some gays will be better people than others, but that holds true for the heterosexuals also.

Reporting like this (blatantly fawning and unresearched efforts) will do more harm to the gay movement than anything else. It's usually considered to be poor form to have your minions fight for your acceptance by berating those whom you want to accept you.