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<title> Adoption for gay couples: towards an open-minded society </title>
Now that we have entered the 21st century, the situation for gay people has never been better, at least not in the Western World, as people, generally speaking, are more open-minded towards homosexuals. However, as soon as one problem seems to disappear, man immediately focuses on another, which ultimately creates "problems of luxury". Adoption for gay couples is one of these problems, and in this paper, I would like to discuss the pros and cons of this matter, by approaching the most common objections raised against this issue. The focus is here, quite naturally, entirely on the child, so I will discuss the problems of gender identification, sexual orientation, teasing and general problems of identity that may affect a child who is adopted by a gay couple.

The first remark that people usually make is that as two people of the same sex cannot conceive a child together, they should not be allowed to adopt children. That assertion is easily dismissed by the fact that adoption in itself, in most cases, would be useless if two people wanting to adopt a child could have one in a "natural" way. People then usually retort that the child will be confused about gender roles, as it will not have a mother and a father around, but two of either sort. A simple reminder of all the single parents who raise children should be enough to put an end to that myth. Gay people do have friends and relatives who have an effect on the child's perception of gender roles, and growing up with gay parents can actually help the child to get a more nuanced view of the traditional gender roles created by society.

Another myth concerning gay parents is that they would subconsciously influence the child to become a homosexual too. The fact that such remarks are made shows how little people know about homosexuality. People do not just become gay; it is a part of a person's identity, and most homosexuals say that they were born that way. Another good rejoinder is that if homosexuality depended on your parents' sexual orientation, there would be no such thing as gay people. Therefore, there is absolutely no indication that there would be a flood of homosexuals if gay couples were allowed to adopt children.
A more relevant problem is that of teasing, which can afflict the child when coming into contact with other children, mainly at school. Children can be cruel, and if somebody is different, he or she usually gets to hear at least some kind of remark about it. However, children who have got a negative view of people being different, in this case homosexuals, usually have got that view from somewhere, in most cases from their parents. If parents are open-minded enough to learn that homosexuality is not a bad thing, and to pass that on to their children, there should be no immediate problem when a child with gay parents starts going to school. Nevertheless, an important point to make is that gay parents have to take the first step by informing teachers and other parents of the situation, in order to avoid rumours and gossip that may occur if they try to conceal their life style to other people.

Lastly, it can be argued that adopted children have got enough battles to fight as it is, and that their having gay parents could only contribute to their confusion. It is true that adopted children, sooner or later, start thinking about their origin and about the fact that they were once, in some way, rejected by their biological parents. Sometimes the adoptive parents have to act as punchbags to their child's frustration, and the fact that they are gay can be seen as yet another way of complicating things for their child. However, I think we can all agree that people who adopt children do it partly in order to help a disadvantaged child, and not to cause trouble. If people do not accept children adopted by gay couples, the only ones who can change this are people in general. We have to start somewhere in order to have a more open-minded climate when it comes to homosexuality, and letting gay couples adopt children is one way of getting closer to that goal.

To sum up, I would like to stress that homosexuals are just as good parents as heterosexuals, and that they too can raise good citizens. Adoption always implies some kind of difficulties for the child, but these obstacles can be overcome if we all work together towards a more comprehensive and open-minded society.
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