Homosexual parents have always existed although they have been in greater evidence only in the past few decades. All people struggle with the question of how open and honest to be about their sexual identity, but for homosexual parents the struggle can be difficult.
These children can be hurt by people who are uncomfortable with a parent's sexual identity and growing up in a home with secrets and shame can also be damaging. Although there is a price to pay for being open about being a homosexual family, there is also a price one must pay for living a carefully protected, secretive life; homosexual parents need to ask themselves which one is more important. In the past most homosexual parents have remained secretive and protective, and for very good reasons (Lev 20). Children have often been conceived in the context of heterosexual relationships, and a homosexual parent had to face not only his or her own coming out issues, the need to separate from a spouse, but also contend with coming out to children. If a custody battle ensued, often homosexual parents were fighting a losing battle in a homophobic court system. The legal and social stigma is finally improving for many homosexual people coming out who have had children in previous heterosexual marriages, and more people are able to be honest about the nature of their families (20). .
In the last two decades many self-identified homosexual people, single and in couples, have actively chosen to have children outside of a socially approved heterosexual marriage. Some have had children using artificial insemination (also known as alternative reproduction; to alleviate the stigma of the word artificial); others have chosen to adopt. Although many people still remain secretive about their sexuality or relationships, many of these homosexual families are out about who they are (21). This means they are showing up in fertility clinics for information about attempting pregnancy.
