ItGetsMoreGay

gaywrites:

Jeremy Bernard is the White House social secretary and the first man and openly gay person to hold the position, and his input may be just what the White House needs to start thinking more about LGBT families.

This New York Times article profiles Bernard in terms of his accomplishments so far as social secretary, particularly as they relate to LGBT issues. It’s clear that he’s strengthened ties with some prominent LGBT individuals and organizations, like HRC’s incoming president Chad Griffin, and that he works to make LGBT people feel welcome.

“I doubt he put anybody on that list just because they were friends,” said a friend of Mr. Bernard who is an advocate for gay issues in Washington and who asked not to be identified talking about what he considered the sensitive topic of political donors and the White House. “But he made very astute political calculations that were in the best interest of the president’s future.”

Equally noticeable were the gay couples at ease enough at the state dinner for Mr. Cameron to walk hand in hand past the cameras set up for guest arrivals — an evolution in attitudes and etiquette that Mr. Bernard’s friends partly credit to him.

“He has had an impact on the obvious, which is the comfort of people who he needs to support the president in the next election,” said Steve Clemons, a foreign policy blogger and the director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation, who is an acquaintance of Mr. Bernard.

Obama has taken a lot of flack from the LGBT community lately for failing to support marriage equality or take action on ENDA. Obviously the work of the White House social secretary cannot make up for the president’s seemingly apathetic actions, but it’s quite possible they can bridge the gap. Read this piece for a look at someone behind the political scenes who we don’t see very often, but who could very well be making a difference.

closetadventures:

Until gay people try to marry, then it’s about procreation, because the church doesn’t let elderly or infertile people marry either. I mean they talk about redefining marriage like that hasn’t already happened! We are far from the days of arranged marriages, business deal marriages, marriages…

br3nnando0o:

You know what I find sickening? The fact that same-sex parenting (I like to call it same-gender parenting) undergoes so much controversy. Researchers have been studying the “effects” of SSP for years now. What I find interesting is that almost every study concludes it to be not only the same as mother/father parenting, but better in certain aspects (the kids are generally more open-minded, accepting of diversity, resilient, etc). The (few) studies that speak of negative effects mention that children may be more depressed and anxious than their peers and that they may have behavioral problems. However, it’s important to note that most of the sources that cite negative effects are people like lawyers, judges, politicians, etc. All of this got me thinking.

The true “issue” that needs to be addressed with same-sex parenting isn’t the fact that it involves two people of the same gender. The issue is the social stigma that surrounds the LGBT community. Even if studies were to consistently conclude that SSP has the same effects (or better) as mother/father parenting on children, people would still be against it. Some people claim that SSP parenting will cause children to question their sexuality or that they will enjoy gender-variant activities. They say these things as if they’re negative. The problem is the heterosexist society that we live in (I’m only speaking about America when I say that) that believes that questioning your sexuality is bad and that gender-variant activities and jobs are bad. People are going to continue to argue that SSP is harmful to children, however, I have yet to see any proof.

The only “proof” that I’ve found are studies that showed that kids may be more depressed and anxious than their peers or that they may have behavioral problems. Kids that are raised in these environments are clearly more likely to endure bullying and become depressed as a result of the ridicule from their peers because of the fact that they have two parents of the same gender. If society were more open and accepting of LGBT people, this would not be a problem. Norway passed the gender-neutral Marriage Law in 2009 which included the right for SSPs to adopt and undergo DI. Norway allowed same-sex partnerships starting way back in 1993. Norway is much more liberal than the US and much more accepting of LGBT people. Are those kids depressed, anxious, and undergoing behavioral problems? No, they’re not. They’re happy just like any other kids who have good parents. 

I think the answer here is pretty simple. Child development isn’t affected by having parents of the same gender. It’s the society we live in, the social stigma, and the environment we’re surrounded by. Something needs to be done about this. People need to talk about this. I’m ready to talk about it.

And actually, they’ve studied the effect of having same-sex parents to being homosexual and found no correlation. The only correlation studies have found are that it increases the chances that the child will consider being in a same-sex relationship. However, most these children try it and realize its not for them, leading to the same number of them decided they are gay than if they had same-sex parents. Who’d a thunk?

(via brennandooo-deactivated20120610)