PROCREATION AND THE STATE'S INTEREST: Lee Walzer replies to Nephtuli

Nephtuli wrote, in the context of a societal interest in encouraging procreation:

If we allowed SSM, [fewer] men would integrate with women and vice versa. The reason is that (some) homosexuals have historically married people of the opposite gender when no other avenue was available. Whether it was societal pressure or legal recognition, homosexuals did marry members of the opposite gender and procreated. Today we have a much lower level of societal pressure, but for now the only legal avenue for recognition is heterosexual marriage. It would stand to follow that some homosexuals who would enter into SSMs if they had the opportunity might do so.

This is probably true but raises some interesting questions (apart from the obvious one that has previously been discussed at length, namely the cost to the often-unknowing heterosexual woman or man who marries a gay/bisexual person): Such children will be raised by a gay/bisexual parent, which a number of previous commenters on the blog have regarded as a horrible fate for a child. So, either gays are as good (or bad) as other parents at parenting and the sexual orientation of the parents is a non-issue, or society is unwittingly creating more children being raised by gay parents, with all the attendant horrible consequences that those who oppose gay parenting contend are inevitable. Which is it? Some will argue that
in such situations, the sexual orientation of the parent will not be apparent, but I respectfully disagree -- even when deeply in the closet, sexual orientation inevitably manifests itself in various ways.

If, as Maggie has argued, children are best served by being raised with a mother and a father, what does she make of a situation I know of: two friends of mine, one gay and the other lesbian, had a child together. They are each quite openly gay and share custody/child-rearing responsibilities.

I happen to think it's great. But they're obviously not married, nor will they ever be. Yet the child will have both a mother and a father. Is the real issue in this whole discussion a mother and a father, or does each parent have to be a red-blooded heterosexual for all the supposed benefits to follow?
posted by Eve at 12:55 AM | link

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