First and foremost I believe that the American family is on the decline for many reasons, and that it is leading to the major weakness we see in our society. I feel that it affects everything from our economy, to our health, to our safety, etc.
I agree, and the gist of my argument focuses on strengthening the family. As we know, the family is the basic building block to society. First the family.... then a community... then a society... then the country. So, if we strengthen the family, we strengthen the country.
There are a few premises that my position operates from. They are all research based. We know that people who are married do better than those who are not. They live longer, they are healthier, and they are more stable monetarily and socially. This is a statistical analysis of data. It does not mean that ALL who are married do better, but it means that it is statistically significant that those who are married to better. As can be seen by this, a healthier, more stable family structure creates a healthier more stable country... as is shown by my building blocks progression.
Next, why does government want to sanction/encourage marriage. Well. as we see, it creates a healthier, wealthier, more stable society, but the primary reason is for the successful rearing of children. One must remember that when a child is reared successfully, he/she becomes a healthy, productive, and stable member of that society/country and can the perpetuate this success. Again, we are talking statistics, here, not absolutes.
Lastly, what we know about families and the rearing of children. Children do better in two parent households than they do in single parent households. Again, research is pretty clear on this, and again, this is statistically significant, not absolute.
So, this is what we know. Marriage produces increased health, wealth, and stability. This progresses to the community, society, and country. We know that government has reasons to sanction and promote marriage... the factors I mentioned and, most importantly, the rearing of children. Finally, we know that children do better in two parent households than those in single parent households.
So, why should government promote GM? Because, all of the information I just provided applies to both straight marrieds AND gay marrieds. The most important component of this is the rearing of children. As this is key in the continuation of a stable society, it behooves the government to promote scenarios that create the successful rearing of children. Currently, the research that has been done demonstrates that children reared by gay parents do equally as well as those by straight parents.
For your viewing pleasure. The studies, with commentary:
Here are the studies supporting my position that children in same-sex households do, at least, as well, overall as those in heterosexual households. Universally, studies show that not only do same-sex parents perform as well as straight parents (whose children would probably be biological), but do
better at times. As far as children's emotional health goes, studies show that, on 4 important scales, there is little or no difference between children reared from single-sex families and those from straight parents (whose children would probably be biological). The 4 components examined were Gender Identity, Gender Role Behavior, Sexual Orientation, and Other Aspects of Personal Development, such as Social Relationships. One difference they did find was that children raised by single-sex parents tend to be more flexible and less closed-minded in their thinking.
The studies I am posting are peer reviewed and reproducible, certainly based on the number that produce similar results.
Studies:
Anderssen, N., Amlie, C., & Ytteroy, E. A. (2002). Outcomes for children with lesbian or gay parents: A review of studies from 1978 to 2000. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 43, 335-351.
Reviewed 23 empirical studies published between 1978 and 2000 on nonclinical children raised by lesbian mothers or gay fathers (one Belgian/Dutch, one Danish, three British, and 18 North American). Twenty studies reported on offspring of lesbian mothers, and three on offspring of gay fathers. The studies encompassed a total of 615 offspring (age range 1.5-44 yrs.) of lesbian mothers or gay fathers and 387 controls, who were assessed by psychological tests, questionnaires, or interviews. Seven types of outcomes were found to be typical: emotional functioning, sexual preference, stigmatization, gender role behavior, behavioral adjustment, gender identity, and cognitive functioning. Children raised by lesbian mothers or gay fathers did not systematically differ from other children on any of the outcomes. The studies indicate that children raised by lesbian women do not experience adverse outcomes compared with other children. The same holds for children raised by gay men, but more studies should be done.
615 offspring from gay parents; 387 controls from straight parents. No differences in 7 types of functioning.
That's ONE.
Gottman, J. S. (1990). Children of gay and lesbian parents. In F. W. Bozett & M. B. Sussman (Eds.), Homosexuality and family relations (pp. 177-196). New York: Harrington Park Press.
Reviews research literature on children of homosexual (HS) parents, including comparisons with children of heterosexual parents. Children of HS parents did not appear deviant in gender identity, sexual orientation, or social adjustment. Issues that emerged during their upbringing related more to society's rejection of homosexuality than to poor parent-child relationships. Most social adjustment problems occurred in both groups and were commonly related to family history of divorce. Results are supported by J. Schwartz's (unpublished manuscript) investigation of the above variables in adult-aged daughters in relation to mothers' sexual orientations, with a focus on role modeling theory.
No difference between children raised by gay parents vs. straight parents on 3 scales. Only issue was society's issue with homosexuality; parenting was a non-issue.
That's TWO.
Kleber, D. J., Howell, R. J., & Tibbits-Kleber, A. L. (1986). The impact of parental homosexuality in child custody cases: A review of the literature. Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law, 14, 81-87.
Reviews the literature on the impact of parental homosexuality in child custody cases. As a result of the relatively high rate of divorce in the United States and the increasing awareness that many parents (an estimated 1.5 million) are homosexual, the courts and divorce mediators have become actively involved in child custody placement decisions involving homosexual parents. While custody decisions have tended to reflect stereotyped beliefs or fears concerning the detrimental effects of homosexual parenting practices on child development, the research literature provides no evidence substantiating these fears. Several specific custody issues are discussed as well as social factors relevant to lesbian motherhood.
Interesting study. No significant issues when homosexual parents obtain custody when a divorce occurs.
That's THREE.
Victor, S. B., & Fish, M. C. (1995). Lesbian mothers and their children: A review for school psychologists. School Psychology Review, 24, 456-479.
Reviews 56 studies (published from 1971 to 1994) on lesbian mothers and their children. Three main family patterns and some common misconceptions about these families are addressed. Research suggests there are no differences between children of lesbians and children of heterosexuals with regard to their emotional health, interpersonal relationships, sexual orientation, or gender development. Psychological adjustment and parenting skills were not significantly different for lesbian and heterosexual mothers. Implications for school psychology practice and training are discussed.
No significant difference in important emotional health issues between children raised by lesbian parents vs. straight parents.
That's FOUR.
Bigner, J. J., & Jacobsen, R. B. (1989b). Parenting behaviors of homosexual and heterosexual fathers. In F. W. Bozett (Ed.), Homosexuality and the family (pp. 173-186). New York: Harrington Park Press.
Compared the responses of 33 homosexual (HMS) fathers with those of 33 heterosexual (HTS) fathers on the Iowa Parent Behavior Inventory. HMS subjects did not differ significantly from HTS subjects in their reported degree of involvement or in intimacy level with children. HMS subjects tended to be more strict and more responsive to children's needs and provided reasons for appropriate behavior to children more consistently than HTS subjects. Possible explanations for these similarities and differences in parenting styles are explored.
Homosexual parenting vs. Heterosexual parenting is explored. No significant differences were found, though homosexual parents tended to be more strict, more responsive, and more consistent with their children.
That's FIVE.
Continued...