User:Jessben12/sandbox

About Me
Hello, I'm Jessie. I am a student from Winona State University majoring in Political Science and minoring in Public Administration. I grew up in the small town of Fountain City, WI. I am passionate about GLBTA (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Allies) issues. I am the Vice President of the GLBTA club on campus. Being passionate about these issues has led me to continue my knowledge into politics. After college I plan to work for a non-profit organization and have looked into becoming a Senator someday. I am also very passionate about animals. I volunteer frequently at the Winona Area Humane Society and will continue to fight for animal rights.

2/14/11 Assignment
Children are going to be the future. Parenting is a part of teaching children how to live and how to survive in the real world. Some argue that there is a right way and a wrong way to raise a child. However, there are many factors and variables that go into raising children. Same-sex parenting has become an issue in America due to the growing number of non-heterosexual couples and the fact that many of these couples want to adopt. How does one decide what is best for the child? Should it be legal for non-heterosexual couples to adopt? When children are involved the conversations can get a little touchy. Years from now these children will grow-up and be a part of society whether as a janitor or a lawyer, they will be the future.The advocates for same-sex parenting say it is a civil rights issue while the opponents say it is a moral issue. For the most part they all agree that the most important issue to look at here is the well-being of the child. The child can grow in a healthy or unhealthy environment with either gendered parent. There are many more factors involved besides the gender of the parent. Literature on the issue of same-sex marriage, same-sex parenting and same-sex adoption has been very prevalent in the last few years due to the rising number of homosexuals coming out and wanting to adopt or have children. This changes what has been known as the “normal family.” It is important to discuss these issues because it affects us all whether everyone would like to believe it or not. However, it is not possible for one to discuss every issue or article regarding same-sex parenting. I have compiled a set of research articles and books; some contradicting each other and some not having much a conclusion at all.

Gay Marriage, Same-sex parenting and America’s Children by William Meezan and Jonathan Rauch addresses more than one issue concerning same-sex parenting. The article raises awareness about the difficulty of actually researching the well-being of a child and the difficulty of getting accurate information about gay and lesbian couples and parents. The article explains how it is hard to find a large enough sample size of gay and lesbian parents as to obtain an accurate data set. Also, it mentions that gay and lesbian parents are hard to locate because they cannot be found in a listing anywhere. However, this is changing do to the increasing acceptance of gay marriage.

CSkibba07 Information looks good, I also like the page layout, it makes the information easy to read

I like your information, your introductory paragraph was a little choppy. Kdrost09 (talk) 21:51, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

winona2012 You do a great job of explaining your topic! Good introduction. You need a few more sources.

like your introduction, keep at it! AHughes08 (talk) 22:13, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

The background information was very helpful. It sounds like you are headed in a positive direction. Are you worried that it will be hard to find data on your topic, and if so have you thought about what you will do if it is?

Meezan, William, Johnathan Rauch. “Gay Marriage, Same-sex Parenting and America’s Children.” The Future of the Children 15 (2005) 97-115. JSTOR. Winona State University, Winon

Change of Topic
I have decided to slightly revise my topic. Tolerance vs Intolerance. Does intolerance have an effect on a persons quality of life? I have been studying the GSA surveys on quality of life, life satisfaction and Homosexual sex relations.

Introduction
==== :Indented line Tolerance of GLBTQ (Gay Lesbian Bi-sexual Transgender and Queer) persons is a world-wide issue. Suicides of young gay teenagers due to bullying and essentially intolerance have been flooding the news. GLBTQ persons are still a minority but continue to grow. The intolerance of these ‘lifestyles’ or persons may have a negative effect on a person’s life. Does having tolerance of GLBTQ persons correlate with an enjoyable or satisfying life? There are many reasons a person lead a satisfying life such as careers or families. However the intolerance of certain minority groups proves to be increasingly harmful. Does intolerance increase the number of dissatisfying lives? If we lived in a world of tolerance would more people have a better quality of life?

Tolerance of the GLBTQ community has come up in several articles. The idea that tolerance affects the quality of life for individuals is less researched but there is available information to research. In this literature review, I will discuss the articles and text available on tolerance and the trends of tolerance relating to GLBTQ communities. I will try to offer a better understanding of the issues relating to tolerance in the past and in the present. ====

Literature Review
Another article follows a more specific layout about same-sex marriage and civil unions. The article Same-Sex Marriage and Civil Unions brings up the traditional American family discussion. It explains that a majority of Americans believe that same-sex marriage undermines the traditional American family or it clashes with their own religious beliefs. The article describes greater support for same-sex marriage through 1988-2004 but even more support for civil-unions rather than marriage. According to the article many Americans believe that same-sex marriage is not compatible with family values. Within the article there are many different polls and data sets. Also the article brings up Lawrence v. Texas and Goodbridge v. Massachusetts Department of Public Health. In bringing these cases up the article was discussing how closely Americans followed the specifics of same-sex marriage. The Appendix is full of polling data about same-sex marriage and how closely the participants follow the issue. This article is useful in the sense of data research and how tolerant Americans are when it comes to these issues.

Issues of tolerance are often under researched. However, this is a big issue when it comes to the well-being of an individual. I feel as though if a person is intolerant of a certain group of people they may have a less satisfying life. The articles above are only a start to the research I am going to continue to do. Starting out more specific and ending more in a general sense may help the reader relate these issues to daily life. GLBTQ persons are in every neighborhood and intolerance should not be accepted. Tolerance of these persons and the life they live could lead to a better life for the individual.