"Should gay couples or singles be allowed to adopt children?"
I got out of range of the station before much discussion, but Hallerin was laying out the positions on both sides. On the one hand, he said the kids would be better off when any sort of family than staying in foster homes or an orphanage. On the other hand, wouldn't allowing gays to adopt amount to an endorsement of the gay lifestyle?
Here are my thoughts.
First, homosexuality is abnormal. This is not a religious conviction or a moral judgment, but a statement of fact. The primary function of the sex drive is to facilitate repoduction. When that drive manifests in such a way as to hinder successful reproduction, then it is functionally abnormal.
I know that the 'official' position of psychiatrists is that homosexuality is no longer considered an abnormal psychological condition, but that change in designation was based more on political and pragmatic factors than on science. The sex drive is so integral to our psychological makeup that once it has formed, it cannot be altered without a tremendous effort. The question became whether that effort was warranted. As society became more accepting of homosexuality and the stigma lessened, we reached a point where the treatment caused more trouble than the problem.
OK, homosexuality is an abnormal expression of sexuality.
So what?
The more gay men there are out there, the more women there are available to turn me down for a date next friday. That is the extent of homosexuality's impact on my life.
So, should gays be allowed to marry? Certainly! They are persons and have every right to enter into a civil contract if they want to. Now churches should not be pressured to perform the ceremony, or recognize the couples as married if it is against their beliefs. It's a wall, not a one way street.
Should gays be allowed to serve in the military? Sure!
While I was in the Navy, we had a kid on board who turned out to be gay. I don't think anybody knew he was gay, and I never heard any rumors one way or the other. He was a good watchstander who did his job well, was friendly and well liked.
He was caught in the showers with a partner, and was off the ship within 48 hours.
We were sorry to see him go, but at the same time, knew that he had to go. Not because he was gay, but because he broke discipline. There were rules, and he broke them. Had he told us he was gay, I am relatively certain that 80%of us in the department wouldn't have cared.
My point is that the mere presence of homosexuals in the military is nowhere near as disruptive as it is portrayed to be. There are issues that have to be addressed, but they are mainly issues of personal responsibility. They don't allow men and women to have sex while aboard ship, although it does happen, and the same rules should apply to homosexuals as well.
Should gays be able to adopt children? Yes.
The only question that should apply is this: Which causes more damage to a child; to be shuffled around between orphanages and foster homes, or to be raised by a gay couple?
I don't know the answer to that question. Being bounced around is certainly traumatic and can be punishing to the child, but we also have to consider the impact on the child's sexual development of being raised by a sexually abnormal parent. My gut tells me that a home with two loving parents, regardless of their sexual orientation, has to be a better place than a foster home or an orphanage.
