Progress

Vermont is jumping on the (tiny) bandwagon.

I am unemployed, which means I have a LOT of time on my hands. I saw this article the article above this morning and started doing some research.

Personally, I'm all for gay rights. I'm of the belief that who another person marries has absolutely zero impact on my life, so let them do what they want. I think of it as choosing a pet. I'm a dog person, and a big dog person at that. I want a Great Dane, aka a small horse. Someone else may like cats. You wouldn't ever ever catch me voluntarily bringing home a cat, not in a million years, but I don't give a crap if someone else does. Same idea. Just substitute people for pets.

One big area of concern for proponents and opponents of gay marriage alike is procreation. There are a lot of questions, the biggest being whether the sexual orientation of the parent has any detrimental effect on the child(ren). This is what I looked at today, and this is what I found:



In this article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

A number of professional medical organizations -- including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association -- have issued statements claiming that a parent's sexual orientation is irrelevant to his or her ability to raise a child.

For the most part, the organizations are relying on a relatively small but conclusive body of research -- approximately 67 studies -- looking at children of gay parents and compiled by the American Psychological Association. In study after study, children in same-sex parent families turned out the same, for better or for worse, as children in heterosexual families.

Moreover, a 2001 meta-analysis of those studies found that the sexual orientation of a parent is irrelevant to the development of a child's mental health and social development and to the quality of a parent-child relationship.



Abstract of this study done by the University of Virginia:

Does parental sexual orientation affect child development, and if so, how? Studies using convenience samples, studies using samples drawn from known populations, and studies based on samples that are representative of larger populations all converge on similar conclusions. More than two decades of research has failed to reveal important differences in the adjustment or development of children or adolescents reared by same-sex couples compared to those reared by other-sex couples. Results of the research suggest that qualities of family relationships are more tightly linked with child outcomes than is parental sexual orientation.



The American Psychological Association says:

"there is no scientific evidence that parenting effectiveness is related to parental sexual orientation: lesbian and gay parents are as likely as heterosexual parents to provide supportive and healthy environments for their children (Patterson, 2000, 2004; Perrin, 2002; Tasker, 1999);"

"research has shown that the adjustment, development, and psychological well-being of children is unrelated to parental sexual orientation and that the children of lesbian and gay parents are as likely as those of heterosexual parents to flourish (Patterson, 2004; Perrin, 2002; Stacey & Biblarz, 2001)"

"Many lesbians and gay men are parents. In the 2000 U. S. Census, 33% of female same-sex couple households and 22% of male same-sex couple households reported at least one child under the age of 18 living in the home. Despite the significant presence of at least 163,879 households headed by lesbian or gay parents in U.S. society, three major concerns about lesbian and gay parents are commonly voiced (Falk, 1994; Patterson, Fulcher & Wainright, 2002). These include concerns that lesbians and gay men are mentally ill, that lesbians are less maternal than heterosexual women, and that lesbians' and gay men's relationships with their sexual partners leave little time for their relationships with their children. In general, research has failed to provide a basis for any of these concerns (Patterson, 2000, 2004a; Perrin, 2002; Tasker, 1999; Tasker & Golombok, 1997). First, homosexuality is not a psychological disorder (Conger, 1975). Although exposure to prejudice and discrimination based on sexual orientation may cause acute distress (Mays & Cochran, 2001; Meyer, 2003), there is no reliable evidence that homosexual orientation per se impairs psychological functioning. Second, beliefs that lesbian and gay adults are not fit parents have no empirical foundation (Patterson, 2000, 2004a; Perrin, 2002). Lesbian and heterosexual women have not been found to differ markedly in their approaches to child rearing (Patterson, 2000; Tasker, 1999). Members of gay and lesbian couples with children have been found to divide the work involved in childcare evenly, and to be satisfied with their relationships with their partners (Patterson, 2000, 2004a). The results of some studies suggest that lesbian mothers' and gay fathers' parenting skills may be superior to those of matched heterosexual parents. There is no scientific basis for concluding that lesbian mothers or gay fathers are unfit parents on the basis of their sexual orientation (Armesto, 2002; Patterson, 2000; Tasker & Golombok, 1997). On the contrary, results of research suggest that lesbian and gay parents are as likely as heterosexual parents to provide supportive and healthy environments for their children."

and

"Results of social science research have failed to confirm any of these concerns about children of lesbian and gay parents (Patterson, 2000, 2004a; Perrin, 2002; Tasker, 1999). Research suggests that sexual identities (including gender identity, gender-role behavior, and sexual orientation) develop in much the same ways among children of lesbian mothers as they do among children of heterosexual parents (Patterson, 2004a). Studies of other aspects of personal development (including personality, self-concept, and conduct) similarly reveal few differences between children of lesbian mothers and children of heterosexual parents (Perrin, 2002; Stacey & Biblarz, 2001; Tasker, 1999). However, few data regarding these concerns are available for children of gay fathers (Patterson, 2004b). Evidence also suggests that children of lesbian and gay parents have normal social relationships with peers and adults (Patterson, 2000, 2004a; Perrin, 2002; Stacey & Biblarz, 2001; Tasker, 1999; Tasker & Golombok, 1997). The picture that emerges from research is one of general engagement in social life with peers, parents, family members, and friends. Fears about children of lesbian or gay parents being sexually abused by adults, ostracized by peers, or isolated in single-sex lesbian or gay communities have received no scientific support. Overall, results of research suggest that the development, adjustment, and well-being of children with lesbian and gay parents do not differ markedly from that of children with heterosexual parents"


There's a lot of stuff out there that find different conclusions. On the whole, however, those are not scientific articles published in scientific journals based on scientific research. They are opinions, church statements, political statements, journal articles pointing out all the flaws in articles that find no problem with gay parenting, etc etc etc. I'm gonna go with the scientific stuff. Do you know you can find seemingly-authoritative stuff on the web that argues smoking doesn't cause cancer? I'm not trying to argue the nuances of the word "cause" here, like many of these articles. Fact is, smoking puts you at a increasingly higher risk for developing cancer. (Random side note: one article I found argues that a 'paranormal wave' causes cancer. Not anything else. Like smoking or the sun or asbestos. Good one, crazy man, why dont you pass that along to my grandparents?) The point that I'm making is that there's a lot of crap out there regarding smoking and cancer, and that I'm going to rely on the data and opinions of the many research hospitals and universities, medical professionals, and medical organizations like WHO and CDC. Not crazy meta physicists and people paid by the tobacco industry. Same idea with this homosexual parenting stuff - I feel pretty confident in the official positions American Psychological Association and American Medical Association. The end :)