(Reuters Health)-
Like parents.
Sexual partners are becoming more and more common in the United States. S.
A study shows that many gay men and their families are still discriminated against and stigmatized by relatives, neighbors, salespeople and other members of the community.
Over the years, it has become easier to create families for gay people.
Medical advances allow them to have children through surrogacy, and more adoption and foster care institutions encourage them to become non-surrogate parents.
Biological children. And the U. S.
In 2015, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, promoting the legal right of parenting for same-sex marriage
Couples with children.
But almost two-
Current research has found that 30 gay fathers have been stigmatized for their identity as gay fathers, half of whom have avoided the situation for fear of abuse or discrimination.
Their children will also be defaced. One-
The third gay father said that their children had been stigmatized by other children, and one out of five said that their children had been avoided out of fear of abuse or discrimination.
"Today's legal protection is much broader than it was a decade ago, which in turn means the stigma faced by gay fathers --
Extended to lesbian mothers
There should be fewer than in the past, "said Brian Powell, a sociology researcher at Indiana University in Bloomington, who was not involved in the study.
"But these protections are not generally provided by all states," Powell said in an email . ".
In the study, researchers surveyed 732 gay fathers and 1,316 children in 47 states.
The researchers rank states based on how much legal protection they provide to gay parents, which covers marriage, civil marriage, family partnership, adoption, child custody, and-
Bullying policy.
It's no surprise that gay fathers are more likely to report the stigma that affects their lives in states with less legal protection.
They also reported that discrimination was more serious in states with less legal protection, especially in family members and religious settings.
In general, about 35% of households in the study were formed through adoption or foster care, 15% were formed with the help of pregnant carriers or surrogacy, and 39% were formed through heterosexual relationships.
Families in states with more legal protection for gay parents are more likely to form through surrogacy, while men in states with few legal protection are more likely to become fathers through heterosexual relationships, the study found.
Many fathers report barriers to becoming parents.
About 41% have difficulties in adoption and adoption
Third, problems were encountered in arranging custody of children born in a heterosexual relationship.
This study does not prove whether parental status or sexual orientation directly affects discrimination or whether it is representative across the country.
Most of the participants are white and gay fathers of other ethnic or ethnic groups may also report different experiences, Dr.
Alan Perrin of the taftz Medical Center in Boston and his colleagues are writing in Pediatrics.
Nevertheless, the findings highlight the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States. S.
Not eliminating discrimination and stigma from the same experience
Sex parents, Julia Raifman, a researcher at the School of Public Health at Boston University, said he was not involved in the study.
Raifman said in an email: "These findings suggest that the shame of gay fathers still exists, and they report that the most shameful things have been experienced in religious institutions, restaurants and neighbors.
"In countries with unequal rights, gay men who want to be fathers may not be likely to be parents, and people who become parents are more likely to experience stigma against them. ” SOURCE: bit.
Ly/2 SWdopf Pediatrics, online, January 14, 2019.