The 21st Century Family: Does Gender Translate into Love

My late grandmother showed me throughout the years what possessions were really designed to do.  Cars and homes weren't only for a persons' personal desires and needs, they were (or at least should be) used to help others.  I kept this philosophy when I purchased my first home by allowing two families and another individual to live there with me during different times.  It was far more rewarding than I could fathom at the time, and there are some benefits I'm still reaping from...one of which being a better understanding of the modern family.  I myself grew up in what would be considered traditional family; two parent household, both parents working, everything is everything.  This wasn't an exception in my neighborhood, although I had several friends coming from one-parent homes.  Back then, those families would've earned the non-traditional label.  That label is changing, though.  And now the "non-traditional" tag is moving to yet another demographic of people.  I was able to view this first hand.

Of the three living situations my house endured while I was there, the best group that stayed with me by leaps and bounds was a biracial lesbian couple with three children - a teenage boy and girl, and a boy toddler.  The rest of this blog could be filled with comments of how excellent the adults were and how respectful and dutiful the kids acted.  While they were there my house was cleaner than it was when I stayed by myself.  They were...in a word...awesome.  And in another word, a real family.  The mother of the two children was employed full-time and worked as security at various locations.  The mother of the toddler worked part-time, with the other time spent making my house spotless.  They studied with the kids, directed them clearly with their chores, and they cooked for all of us.  The teens carefully watched over and cared for the toddler.  And their love for each other was evident.  There was not one lesbian stereotype action that I encountered.  They were a unit.

I was asked yesterday about an article concerning the transgender bathroom issue.  I was probed about whether I believed there was a hidden agenda by the LGBTQ community to destroy the family...and I do.  Not in the sense that that community is looking to ensure that adults never live together or ever care for children; but to remove the importance of gender within the family unit is a (not so hidden) agenda item.  I believe that for this LGBTQ goal out of several, this isn't just created to bring sympathy to the cause.  This one is honest and fair.  This one examines the notion of what tradition really is, and if it's any good.  Gender doesn't prevent a child growing up in an alcoholic, drug addicted, or abusive home.  It doesn't ensure that the parents will go to all extents for a child's education.  And it doesn't automatically lead to love.  All of these things, as the argument goes, can be achieved regardless of gender.  Truthfully, there is no argument in that, but there is an argument.

Columbia Law School, the University of Colorado at Denver, and the University of Oregon all have recent studies that show children raised by homosexual parents fair "no worse" than children raised by heterosexual couples.  And while I'm sure one could find as reputable studies that debunk the others, I don't think the debate needs to go that far.  The key phrase in my mind is 'no worse.' It sounds approving, but it doesn't at all mean 'any better.'  In fact, because 'no worse' doesn't mean 'any better' then the argument for LGBTQ families only produces lateral results per the data.  According to the studies I've seen and those you will see, the gay community has a point stating that gender doesn't necessarily translate to healthy families, but that's a fact that confirms the state of society as a whole...including the LGBTQ portion of that.  (There is actually data that does show children are worse, depending on what is considered to be worse - see chart below).  So then, what's missing?

We don't have to look so far back as to what went wrong.  Homosexuality wasn't the first 'wrong' in human relationships.  The first wrong was perpetuated by a heterosexual couple (Genesis 3), and from that the other wrongs (some made more vile than others) were to follow.  So we know what's missing.  The issue is our society has developed into one that chooses to work with it's detrimental aspects instead of eliminating them.  This isn't to Donald Trump gays, but it is to say the ball is already rolling....so before we look at stopping it we should ask what's at risk if we do?  Does a gender neutral bathroom law effect people so insensitively that the comfortably of other citizens should be compromised?  Does a lesbian family run by good people mean that there should be legislation that approves all LGBTQ family units?  Does good for the common really mean good for everyone?  Is this all just left-media driven (yes)?  The answers are probably unsearchable (except the left media part), so to that end, this is your 21st century traditional family: one that can be one or two parents, who can be of different or the same race and different or the same gender.  They can love each other or they cannot.  They can be God-fearing, or not, or partially.  They can be...whatever as long as there is one adult and one child.  There is no traditional family anymore, and frankly, it's debatable if there ever was one.  And if there was no traditional family this means that their may have not been any love either.  Then again, that depends on what a person recognizes as love.