Joel Bernheim: Gay Community, Father's Rights Activists Unite on Custody Issues
In light of continuing shifts on cultural norms, the issues of gender roles and parenting have once again become hot topics-and they have drawn commentary from both the gay community and father's rights advocates like Joel Bernheim.
Online, May 28, 2012 (Newswire.com) - In recent weeks, the topics of homosexuality, marriage, and societal norms have made major news headlines. As cultural perceptions of marriage and sexuality shift, so do conventional understandings of gender roles, parenting, and more. A recent Huffington Post article makes note of this, highlighting the fact that fathers can sometimes be called upon to play the roles historically filled by mothers. The article has drawn attention from the homosexual community, but also from the father's rights movement. In fact, a leading advocate for the father's rights movement, Joel Bernheim, has responded to the Huffington Post article in a new statement to the press.
The Huffington Post article underscores the fact that fathers and mothers have long fit into societal molds, forced to play to gender stereotypes, but that in reality, men within same-sex couples can perform the same tasks of nurturing and care giving that traditionally fall to mothers. The author of the piece calls upon the nation's laws, as well as the culture's perceptions and assumptions, to better reflect this reality, and to display less bias when it comes to gender.
The gay community has won an unlikely set of allies in this matter-specifically, members of the father's rights movement. Joel Bernheim, an advocate for the movement and a proponent of fairer custody laws, has issued his own response to the article. "The fact of the matter is that our laws promote equality for men and women while our cultural norms do not," writes Bernheim. "It is superficial for a person to believe that a male parent is incapable of raising their children as well as their female counterpart. Our society cannot culturally evolve until it is widely understood and accepted that mothers are not more committed to parenting than fathers. Further, we need to grasp that being a loving, nurturing parent, regardless of gender, is what truly matters."
Bernheim's comments are very much in line with what the father's rights movement has long espoused. The movement does not seek to treat women unfairly, but, on the contrary, seeks to maximize equality between fathers and mothers, particularly in divorce hearings, custody disputes, and more. The movement is also devoted to educating the public about the vital role that a father plays in the development and upbringing of a child.
The movement is essentially a way to ensure that all parents get a chance to be with their children, regardless of gender. This tenet is affirmed by the Huffington Post piece, which expresses a desire for children to enjoy lives and futures that are not "limited by gender."
ABOUT:
Joel Bernheim is a professional within the asset receivables management industry, and currently serves as Executive Vice-President of Operations at the Illinois Company Asset Recovery Solutions, LLC. He is also an outspoken activist and philanthropist, with much of his activism centered on the father's rights movement. His support of this movement stems from his own experiences as a single father.