A CASE STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF BEING RAISED BY A

HOMOSEXUAL GUARDIAN

A Thesis

Presented to

Faith Christian School- Science High School

Cainta, Rizal

In Partial Fulfilment

of the Requirements in Special Science Section

in Grade 10

By

Jana I. Bernardo

Cheska G. Carbonel

John Raymond V. Elizaga

Grazelle R. Nadal

Leimari Kris B. Villegas

Diana Yap- Diangco

February 2018
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) people are nowadays more
widely accepted because of the declaration of the Same Sex Marriage Law in the
United States of America. More people are declaring their sexualities openly, because
they had been given the freedom to express themselves in that way. These LGBT
people did not just suddenly exist – there has always been many of them, but now has
just been the time that they became slowly but widely accepted. Due to this, it has also
become more common for homosexual couples to adopt children.

In some cases, married couples even divorce due to the decision of one to be in
a relationship with someone of the homosexual. In cases like this, if the previously
married couple had a child, the custody may have been transferred to the spouse with
the preference of the homosexual, possibly resulting in the child being raised by a
homosexual couple – one of the said couple being their biological parent.

In this study, the researchers will study the effects of being raised by a
homosexual guardian. They will study if the child raised by a homosexual guardian is
affected in his behavior, self-esteem, and views and understanding.
 Conceptual Framework

This diagram shows the factors that could affect the child that was raised by a
homosexual guardian. This diagram shows the possible effects of having homosexual
parents to the child’s view and understanding of family dynamics, behaviour towards
other people, self- esteem and sexual orientations.
 Statement of the Problem

The goal of this research is to analyze the effects of being raised by a

homosexual guardian. It also aims to know if it has an impact on the view of the child
regarding sexual orientations.

The following questions will be answered throughout the study:

1. Does being raised by a homosexual guardian affects the way the child behaves
or does the child behave very differently from other children as a result?
2. Does being raised by a homosexual guardian affects how the child understands
family dynamics?
3. Does being raised by a homosexual guardian affects the views of the child on
sexual orientations?
4. Does being raised by a homosexual guardian makes the self-esteem of the child
low?

Statement of the Hypothesis

In this study, the researchers hypothesize that being raised by a homosexual

guardian will not greatly affect the way the child behaves in comparison to other children
with parents of different genders, and that it will not affect the child’s view on sexual
orientations, nor the child’s self-esteem. The researchers also hypothesize that a
homosexual guardian do not raise their child very differently from opposite sex parents,
which as a result, will not make their child’s understanding of family dynamics different
form the traditional one. Overall, the researchers hypothesize that being raised by a
homosexual guardian is just similar to being raised by heterosexual parents when they
are compared.
 Scope and Delimitations

In this study, the researchers will be conducting an interview on a person who

was raised by a homosexual person. The respondent that will be chosen to be
interviewed should be qualified, suited, and capable of answering the questions that will
be given to them. The coverage of this topic will only be limited to the person’s behavior
and characteristics, self-esteem, their view regarding LGBT, and their understandings of
family dynamics.

Significance of the Study

In this study, the people would be able to know if there would be an effect to the
person if they were raised by homosexual guardian. The researchers would like to
inform the people the effects of being raised by homosexual guardian and if it will truly
affect the child or person’s performance. This research will benefit psychologists who
wants to observe and study behaviors of children whether they behave according to the
way their guardian raise them or not, and also for the psychologists to have insights on
how they could possibly help the people about such topics or matters. And of course
this will benefit those who have homosexual parents or guardians because the people
would further understand their situation, and have knowledge of their own actions and
behaviors.
 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter includes the review of related literature and studies which the
researchers have used to give more basis on the topic under study. The following
articles, literature, and studies are gathered by the researcher using books, magazines,
and the internet. These gathered information are related to the study that the
researchers are conducting.

A. Related Literature

Foreign

Having homosexual parents can result in that person having different opinions
and views from other people, especially if they were raised by heterosexual parents.
Many people conduct researches about how having homosexual parents affect how the
child acts. The following literature from magazines, articles, books and other sources
are related to the aim of the researchers in this study.

Based on the research of Cameron and Cameron, they reported that their
findings are consistent with other research published on homosexual lifestyles, which
has concluded that "homosexuals disproportionately suffer morbid conditions, have
shorter life spans, and disproportionately disrupt society" (Cameron and Cameron, 8
1999).

Lowell Brubaker, a psychologist, commented on the research of Cameron and

Cameron saying that all the negative consequences/results of homosexual parenting as
opposed to simply bad parenting. He also concludes that because the bulk of problems
faced by children of homosexual households are the result of problems from outside as
opposed to inside the family, which is why the necessary changes should be focused on
the larger society.

According to an article by Stacey and Biblarz in 2001, lesbian parents are better
for children to have than heterosexual parents because it is found that lesbian mothers,
like heterosexual mothers, tended to hope that their children would acquire gender traits
that resembled how the mothers saw themselves. The researcher of this article could
find no evidence to support theories that lesbian mothers have higher tendencies to
suffer from mental illness and instead found that these mothers "display somewhat
higher levels of positive psychological resources".

In the first article, family studies scholar Loren Marks of Louisiana State
University reviews the 59 studies that are referenced in the 2005 American
Psychological Association brief that came to the conclusion that there are “no
differences.” Marks concludes that “not one of the 59 studies referenced … compares a
large, random, representative sample of lesbian or gay parents and their children with a
large, random, representative sample of married parents and their children.”

The second article, by sociologist Mark Regnerus of the University of Texas at

Austin, presents new and extensive empirical evidence that shows there are differences
in outcomes between the children of a parent who has same-sex relationships and
children raised by their married, biological mother and father. Already, the New Family
Structures Study (NFSS) of the University of Texas, has been acknowledged by critics
to be “better situated than virtually all previous studies to detect differences between
these groups in the population.”

Based on by an Australian study conducted at the University of Melborne and

published in the journal BMC Public Health, children with LGBT parents had the same
amount of self-esteem and spent as much family time with their parents compared to
children of heterosexual parents. In fact, investigators found that children of gay and
lesbian couples to be healthier and have a stronger family unit.

"Research shows that children raised by gay or lesbian parents do as well as

other children in terms of well-being, adjustment, functioning and peer relationships, and
researchers have found no differences in terms of depression, anxiety and self-esteem,"
said Caitlin Ryan, director of the Family Acceptance Project at the César E. Chávez
Institute at San Francisco State University.

A study (Sirota 2009) of 68 women with gay or bisexual fathers and 68 women
with heterosexual fathers found a statistically significant difference between the two
groups. The researchers concluded that the women who had gay or bisexual fathers
tend to have difficulties in sharing intimacy, openness and are having more anxiety.

In 1998, homosexuality had become increasingly accepted, and courts were less
likely to rule against plaintiffs solely on the basis of their sexual orientations.
Nonetheless, social resistance to gay parenting still simmered, often hinging on bygone
stereotypes.

The president of the Family Research Council – a group that promotes

heterosexual marriage - told CBS' "Face the Nation" that "no evidence" existed that
children raised by gay parents fare as well as those raised by straight ones. (Tony
Perkins, 2010)

In the article “Children of Lesbian and Gay Parents” (1992), Charlotte Patterson
stated that not a single study has found children of gay or lesbian parents to be
disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents.
Local

Mark Herras is a Filipino Actor who isn’t uncomfortable/scared to know that his
parents are members of the LGBT community, also by the fact that both of his parents
are gay. He said to the audience “My parents are both gay. I’m proud sa parents ko.”

Students in many parts of the Philippines are undergoing bullying and school
discrimination due to their sexual orientation and gender identity, according to Human
Rights Watch's report today. With the law in the Philippines that provides protection for
discrimination and disability in schools, lawmakers and school administrators must act
to ensure that they are fully enforced. (Manila, 2017 June 22)

B. Related Studies

Local Studies

Based on the researcher’s findings of Ronnel Ancheta, Liezel De Guzman,

Ruben Rapsing, and Carmina Sanchez on the study “Difference between Children
raised by Homosexual and Heterosexual Parents”, children raised by heterosexual
parents tend to always conform whenever his/her friend commit mistakes; they always
admit their mistakes and willing to be punished, and majority of the children needs the
approval of others before taking responsibility, while the minorities are not. While on the
other hand, the children raised by homosexual parents seem to have been committing
unlawful acts that disgraces his/her dignity and they tend to help their friends to hide
faulty things that his/her friend has done. The researchers concluded that the structure
of the family can affect the development of the children in the terms of Social, Moral,
Spiritual and Intellectual Development.

According to Kim Lorraine Gaviola’s Relationship Between the Demographic

Profile of the Selected High School Students with Homosexual Guardians or Parents
and their Social Dynamics, the self-esteem and the social dynamics of the child is not
affected by the fact that they have homosexual parents or guardians. The researchers
have concluded that there are no significant effects of having homosexual parents and
that they are no difference if they were raised by the traditional heterosexual parents.
 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

This chapter will discuss the Research Methodology, Sources of Data, Data
Gathering Procedure, Instrumentation, and Statistical Treatment of Data applied in this
study. In this study, methodologies have been used to diagnose and examine the
effects being raised by a homosexual guardian to the performance of the child/student.

Methods of Research

The method used in this research is in the form of case study. The researchers
used this method to give more details and to be focused on the study that they are
conducting. A case study is used to gain more close up understanding on underlying
reasons, opinions, and motivations. In this research study, the researchers conducted a
case study method for them to analyze certain background information about the said
topic of the research to understanding deeply how this topic would affect the people.

Sources of the Study

The interview with the respondent was conducted via video call at one of the
researcher’s house. One of the researchers happened to have a relative that was raised
by a homosexual guardian.

Sample Techniques

A stratified set of questionnaires was used as sample procedure for asking the
selected respondent. The questionnaires was used to ensure a fairly equal
representation of the variables in this study. The technique used in this study was
employed to conduct the procedure properly and let the researchers see how the
answers of the respondent would qualify the researchers’ outlook of the possible
answers.
 Data Gathering Procedures

The data was gathered through the following procedures:

1. The researchers made a questionnaire.

2. The researchers went to find a suitable interviewee for their study.
3. The researchers asked the person if he was willing to be interviewed.
4. The researchers then conducted an interview to the chosen respondent
via video chat.

Instrumentation

The researchers designed an interview schedule as one of the data collection

instruments for this study. The person who was pointed out to have homosexual
guardian was interviewed. The interview questions were aimed at the behavior of the
person as a child, his self- esteem, and his views on different sexualities.

A set of questions were asked to the chosen respondent. Each questions were
asked to find out about the respondent’s:

 Self- esteem
 Behaviour toward family and friends
 Understanding about family dynamics
 Views and opinions about different sexual orientations

Statistical Treatment of Data

The answers were gathered and then analyzed. The researchers used the
respondent’s answers to tell if there are any effects of being raised by a homosexual
guardian.
 CHAPTER 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

The purpose of this study is to see if there are any effects of being raised by a
homosexual guardian. This chapter discusses the presentation of data, data analysis
and the interpretation of data from the interview conducted by the researchers.

1.) Are you vocal about your thoughts or feelings as a child?

The respondent said yes, he was very vocal about his thoughts and feelings as a
child.

This shows that the respondent is not shy to express his feelings and thoughts to
the people around him.

2.) Have you ever thought you’re a failure?

The respondent answered that he really did feel like a failure at times, especially
because of his parents. He said that he was having serious doubts about himself. He
was thinking if his parents doesn't love him but later realized in his adult days that
people really just have their own reasons.

This shows that the respondent felt like a failure because of the fact that his
parents abandoned him. He then later realized that people just have their own reason.
He just learned to accept the circumstance and the situation he was in.

3.) Do you feel like you are not good as the others?

The respondent stated that being less important was always present in his life.
He gave being scolded an example. He compared how others have their parents to
stand up for them while he doesn't. It was always different for him having real parents or
just guardians.
4.) Do you like yourself?

The respondent said that he likes himself because he needs to. He said that if he
didn't liked himself, he wouldn't be where he was. He might end up a drug addict or
whatsoever. By liking himself, he reveals his character. His mind set was if he didn't
liked his self, then who would.

5.) Do you constantly ask for assurance or affirmation?

The respondent stated that he doesn't need self-assurance due to the fact that
his family shows and gives the love that he needs. He said that he always think ahead
ever since he was a child. He always talked to himself. Asking questions that only he
can answer. There were times that people got jealous of him saying that he isn't even
the real child but why does he get things that they don't. That's one of the factors that
made him feel the love.

6.) Are you close with your family?

Despite being adopted, the respondent was close to his family, backing up his
statement by giving one of the researchers, Grazelle, as an example.

7.) Did you always open up to your Uncle Nelson as a child?

The respondent said that he didn't always open up to his homosexual guardian,
but he also said that when asked, he didn’t lie about or conceal his problems and
opinions from his Uncle. The respondent even said that he was very upfront when
telling his Uncle Nelson things, even including a lot of details. He said that he wasn't
afraid to tell the truth.

This shows that though the respondent don't always open up to his guardian,
Uncle Nelson, he doesn't lie or hide things to him when asked. This shows how
comfortable he is with his guardian.
8.) Do you like spending time with your friends?

The respondent replied that he like spending time with his friends a lot. He also
said that he had several friends from everywhere, and also said that if one put him
anywhere, he's very likely to immediately get a friend, because he wasn't afraid to
communicate with various people.

The respondent talked about how he was a celebrity bartender, which meant that
his several friends also included celebrities. But despite all that, he didn't treat the
celebrities with special treatment. He'd only give special treatment to a celebrity if that
person was a very close friend of his.

He also talked about the need to get along with people, because he had no
parents growing up whom he could tell personal things to, so he decided to get that kind
of support from friends instead.

9.) Do you sometimes feel different from others?

The respondent said that he did feel different, because between him, Earl, and
Mark - relatives he was raised with - the treatment wasn't equal. He said that they
sometimes got better things and food. This was the only reason why he felt different
from others - it had nothing to do with being raised by a homosexual guardian.

10.) Did your friends and previous classmates when you were a child know that your
guardian was gay?

The respondent said yes, and that he was very proud about it. He was teased
about it, but he didn't consider it as bullying and didn't care, because he fought back
anyway. He said that he wasn't above fighting back. He also said that he thought it was
annoying when people teased him for stuff that weren't true, like when he was being
teased about being gay or sure to be gay, when he wasn't gay at all.
11.) Were you bullied because of having homosexual parent/s or guardian/s?

The respondent said that yes there are times, of course a person would always
look for something to attack you with. But the respondent firmly said that he wasn't that
bullied because he thinks advance compared to others. He said that he knows that will
happen so he already knows what to respond. The respondent also said that that wasn't
his weakness

12.) Did you get confused when you were child about why you grew up with just an
uncle when other kids had two parents?

The respondent said that he wasn't confused because it was explained to him
early on, which is why he didn't have difficulties with that fact. His guardian was very
upfront to him about how they had no money how the respondent was just adopted.

The respondent also added that his uncle didn't want him to be whiny, which is
why in most fights or arguments he had, the uncle didn't stand up for him. But in more
serious fight and arguments, the uncle would stand up for him, and the respondent
would really feel like his Uncle Nelson was his parent. But even though, the respondent
still felt hurt at the fact that on any other occasion, no one would be there to defend him,
because his siblings were far older than him and can't fight with the kids that were the
respondent's age.

13.) How do you view LGBT and other sexual orientations?

The respondent disagreed with the ideology that the LGBT community
presented, because to him, it represented a group that separated itself from the other
'straight' genders. But for the respondent, they shouldn't do that, because what they're
doing was just politics, by calling themselves different from the community with normal
male and female genders. The respondent also said that not all gay people are smart
and intelligent but rather, some are just flirty. But the respondent also defended the gay
who raised him by saying that the gay guardian who raised him and his friends are
professionals.

14.) Does having a homosexual guardian affects your view on gay and lesbians?

The respondent said that yes it affected him; it made him more sensitive and not
numb on the things happening around him since gays are people who have a girl-like
heart but a man's body, while on the other hand, lesbians have a man-like heart but a
girl's body.
 CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter presents the summary or the researcher work undertaken, the
conclusions drawn and the recommendations made as an outgrowth of this study. This
study is about the effects of having homosexual parent/s or guardian/s.

Summary of Findings

Based on the following data, the summary of findings was drawn:

Question #1, findings show that the respondent was very vocal about his thoughts and
feeling as a child.

Question #2, findings show that the respondent felt like he was not important at times,
especially because he doesn’t get to meet his biological parents. When the respondent
was still a child, he often asked himself why did his parents left him but his homosexual
guardian assured him that it’s not that his parents don’t love him, his guardian told him
that there are some things that we need to understand.

Question #3, findings show that the respondent, as a child, felt that he sometimes feel
that he was left behind. He felt that the others are better than him and he felt that he
was the least important. There was a competition between him and his cousins and
when they were scolded, nobody is there to back him up. He said that the love and
protection that he always feel was incomplete.

Question #4, findings show that the respondent likes himself. He said that he love
himself because he needs to. If he doesn’t love himself, he might end up being an
addict or in prison. He doesn’t have anyone to help him if trouble comes because it’s not
always that his guardian is beside him. He thought of his future and he loves himself.

Question #5, findings show that the respondent didn’t asked for assurance or affirmation
because he already knows the answer. He knows that his guardian loves him and that
he doesn’t need to assure it. There are things that we already know and we don’t need
to confirm those anymore.

Question #6, findings show that he is super close to his family.

Question#7, findings show that he was did not always open up with his Uncle Nelson,
his gay guardian. But whenever he was asked by him, he was not afraid to tell the truth,
in fact, he would even tell him things in full detail.

Question#8, findings show that the respondent loves spending time with them and that
he has so many friends. He mentioned that it was his way of coping with the lack of real
family.

Question#9, findings show that the respondent felt different all the time when around his
known family. He said that his other cousins always have a special treatment. But the
respondent made it clear that such treatments were not caused by him having a gay
guardian.

Question#10, findings show that the respondent was very proud of having a gay
guardian.

Question#11, findings show that the respondent said that some people tease him but he
never let them get through his head. He don’t let those people bully him. He fights them
back because he was never ashamed of his Uncle Nelson.

Question#12, findings show that the respondent said that those matters were explained
to him at the very beginning. He knew at an early age of his situation. His Uncle Nelson
told him himself about those things because it is less painful that way. He was aware at
an early age of what had happened to him when he was abandoned by his real parents.

Question#13, findings show that the respondent did not agree by the idea of LGBT
community because they were separating themselves from other people, which the
respondent didn’t like. He said that people shouldn’t do that because what they’re just
doing are politics. The respondent also said that not all gay people are smart and
intelligent but rather, some are just flirty. But the respondent also defended the gay who
raised him by saying that the gay who raised him and his friends are professionals.
Question#14, findings show that the respondent said that those people (gays and
lesbians) affect him deeply. It made him more empathetic and sensitive. He learned to
be soft in the inside because of them. He understood where those people are coming
from. He said that they really need to work hard and earn money because they need to
buy love. Usually gay people give gifts and money to their significant others just for
them to be together. That made him respect those people highly.

Conclusions

1. The respondent doesn’t have a low self- esteem. Having a gay guardian did not affect
his self- esteem. He is assured that his guardian loves him. He did not let other people
bully him because he was not ashamed of his gay guardian. He knows how to defend
himself.

2. The respondent didn’t have any negative behaviour towards his family and friends.
He loves his family and friends.

3. Having many gays around him growing up made a huge impact on him in his life. He
understood gays. He became more empathetic. He became soft in the inside.

4. The respondent understood family dynamics at an early age. He was not confused as
to why his family was not like other families that has a father and a mother.

Recommendations

The researchers recommend to the next researchers who will pursue this study
to have more than one respondent. By having more than one respondent, the effects of
being raised by a homosexual guardian will be evidently seen. Another recommendation
is that to use survey on gathering data. It would be easy that way since they would not
really focus on interviewing their respondents. Lastly, it would be better if the study
would be comparative such as comparing children raised by homosexual and children
raised by heterosexual. In that way you would also see the different effects on the
children.
 The researchers recommend this study to homosexual parents or guardian for
them to know how they would have affect their child and how they can help their
children. This study can also be used by the child of homosexual parents since this can
help them to know further about how other people with homosexual parent or guardian
feels. This study can help those with homosexual parent or being homosexual parent
itself in aiding the problems in relation of their parents.