Opponents of gay marriage and adoption often frame their criticisms in terms of what’s best for children. Allowing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples to raise boys and girls, they may attest, endangers healthy child development in myriad ways. So what’s the truth?
5 Gay Parenting Myths article:
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1. No Scientific Evidence
There’s no real scientific support that same-sex parenting is “bad.” Sure, you might hear opponents of the published research claim it’s tainted with ‘liberal bias.’ But research conducted on LGBT parents and their kids has been _overwhelmingly_ positive. A host of respected organizations have issued statements giving gay parenting their stamp of approval. And not just some fringe outfits! We’re talking the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and more. The list goes on.
Take a 2002 policy statement released by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It reiterated that, based on scientific literature, “children who grow up with one or two gay and/or lesbian parents fare as well in emotional, cognitive, social and sexual functioning as do children whose parents are heterosexual.”
2. Kids Need Parents of Both Genders
In heterosexual household contexts, studies have linked the absence of dads to higher rates of delinquency, drug abuse and lower educational attainment. But New York University sociologist Judith Stacey’s meta analysis of 33 studies found that parental gender had little bearing on kids’ well-being. The most influential variables were, instead, resources and childcare commitment. Those hold even greater sway than the number of parents in a home. In other words, two invested parents are the best case scenario, but even one involved parent is better than a detached couple — no matter their sexual orientation….
Sources:
-Doe v. Pryor. U.S. 02-14899. United States Court of Appeals. United States Courts. Sept. 11, 2003. (April 11, 2012) http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/ops/200214899.pdf
-Belkin, Lisa. “What’s Good for the Kids.” The New York Times. Nov. 05, 2009. (April 11, 2012) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/magazine/08fob-wwln-t.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1333735758-jLAoshXv+QHhwPVVXBgykg
-Biblarz, Timothy J. and Stacey, Judith. “How Does the Gender of Parents Matter?” Journal of Marriage and Family. February 2010. (April 11, 2012) http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/biblarz-stacey.pdf
-Gottleib, Andrew. “Media Reviews.” Journal of GLBT Family Studies.” Aug. 02, 2010. (April 11, 2012) http://www.choicesconsulting.com/assets/pro_writing/gay-and-lesbian-parents-review.pdfg
-Kix, Paul. “Study: Gay Parents More Likely to Have Gay Kids.” AOL News. Oct. 17, 2010. (April 11, 2012) http://www.aolnews.com/2010/10/17/study-gay-parents-more-likely-to-have-gay-kids/
-MediaMatters. “Tony Perkins’ fearmongering about same-sex parenting is refuted by medical consensus.” Aug. 08, 2010. (April 11, 2012)
-National Center for Fathering. “The Extent of Fatherlessness.” (April 11, 2012) http://www.fathers.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=336
-Pappas, Stephanie. “Gay Parents Better Than Straight Parents? What Research Says.” LiveScience. Huffington Post Science. Jan. 16, 2012. (April 11, 2012) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/16/gay-parents-better-than-straights_n_1208659.html
-Park, Alice. “Study: Children of Lesbians May Do Better Than Their Peers.” TIME. June 07, 2010. (April 06, 2012) http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1994480,00.html
-Patterson, Charlotte J. “Children of Lesbian and Gay Parents: Psychology, Law and Policy.” American Psychologist. November 2009. (April 11, 2012) http://people.virginia.edu/~cjp/articles/p09b.pdf
-Perrin, Ellen C. “Technical Report: Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents.” Pediatrics. February 2002. (April 11, 2012) http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/109/2/341.abstract?fulltext=&searchid=QID_NOT_SET
-Schumm, WR. “Children of homosexual more apt to be homosexuals? A reply to Morrison and to Cameron based on an examination of multiple sources of data.” Journal of Biosocial Science. November 2010. (April 11, 2012) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20642872
