Life is more enjoyable when you are with the family, and starting one can give you the best memories. However, raising a family is not an easy feat, primarily when residing in a harsh society. It gets even more complicated when society does not accept your marriage, leaving you uncomfortable in your environment. Heterosexual marriages are rarely contested, but people in different communitiesâ frown at same-sex weddings. Check out some challenges you will likely face if you plan to start a Same-sex family.
Challenges with Starting a Same-sex family
Similar to the fact stated above, same-sex families are prone to experiencing challenges that others don’t. The deeper part of this is that it affects the parents and the children of these families. Sometimes it might come as laws restricting them while others may stand as discrimination from their peers. Let us look at some of the significant challenges you will likely face and how to deal with them.
School Bullying
It is not common to notice or hear about cases of bullying in schools across environments, regardless of their location. However, the number of instances increases when related to the LGBTQIA community despite having some go unnoticed to the public. Discrimination is something that transgender or people into same-sex relationships are likely to experience at one point or the other.
Luckily some won’t experience it in their entire lifetime, but that depends on their circle and the society they join. Those who face this discrimination might suffer some trauma, especially children and teenagers far from becoming adults. Sometimes even adults tend to suffer from these traumas.
Healthcare Restrictions
Technology has moved the world forward, and among many, one noticeable industry it has helped is the health industry. It has helped improve the quality of first aid services, surgeries, medications, and health consultancy that you can find globally. However, these improvements give limited assistance when some exceptional cases with the transgender community arise.
One reason is that some health establishments do not include services for that community despite its acceptance in that area. On the other hand, some of these establishments are restricted based on the country’s laws that don’t support the LGBTQIA community. Other issues like gender confirmation for unborn transgender children, denying the LGBTQIA community from receiving healthcare, etc.
Inconsistent Laws (Parental Recognition)
Usually, a couple gets the rights over a child after birth, which is the customary law in every country. However, this, which might be a minor detail, is quite different when delivering between LGBTQIA couples. The reason is that regardless of the birth method, the parents may not be included in the birth certificate.
It is not because the couple doesn’t claim the child but because of the laws and policies. Despite being accepted, policies supporting Same-sex marriages have not been revised or adjusted to include these types of cases. The case isn’t about ignoring these revisions or adjustments; it’s just that changing the outdated laws might take time.
Parental Leave
Many organizations that operate in our present times offer the benefit of paid leave to families but not everywhere. Organizations in some countries do not give these benefits to their employees. On the other hand, some don’t provide them at all. Regular families face these challenges making it twice as hard for same-sex families to enjoy these benefits. It means that it will be more challenging for them to be considered in environments that restrict the benefits generally. Another factor that affects is that they might not possess rights over the child as guardians. Parental leave is given to couples with a child, and it becomes void if they don’t have the rights.
How to Deal with These Challenges as A Same-sex family
Dealing with Bullying
Bullying isn’t guaranteed to stop with just warnings, and other times your child runs the risk of suffering trauma. As parents, the best solution you can consider is to enroll your child in a school supporting LGBTQIA students. It helps them fit in with people that accept them, and some also teach them self-importance and value as a bonus. However, a long-term solution by the government would help ease these kinds of situations to help them fit in.
Getting Efficient Healthcare
You really can go against the laws of your state or country, but you can prevent yourself from getting stranded. In situations relating to healthcare, the best thing is to understand the details that are included in your insurance fully. Knowing what you can gain and whatnot will help you find your way around these issues. You can also get to know which health institutions offer the services you prefer and how to benefit from them.
Parental Recognition
The parental recognition challenge doesn’t lie with Same-sex couples but with the government and its policies. You are not responsible for giving yourself the rights over a child, which is why it should be checked. Despite the advice to states, the action will be better implemented if it’s a federal order increasing its impact. Federal mandates give the state the reason to prioritize an issue, making its execution occur more rapidly than usual.
Solutions to Parental Leave
If you happen to be working in an organization earlier, you need to confirm their standings with LGBTQIA status. You will need to find out if the benefits they offer go in your direction to avoid any issues. It’s a bit easy for Same-sex couples who are given rights to the child, but for others, it might be a tasking feat. The primary advice is to kick off the process by researching places likely to give legal rights to you.
Conclusion
The world is quite overkilling when it comes to the issues relating to discrimination against the LGBTQIA community. However, there are still some environments with people who accept them regardless of the rules but probably not publicly. Some people stand to fight for the rights of the LGBTQIA, and progress has been seen. Let us hope it all gets better, and the gender inequality subsides.
