Social Science Research Relating to Children

The prevailing professional opinion is that a parent’s sexual orientation has nothing to do with his or her ability to be a good parent. All major research studies, including a 2001 meta-analysis of two decades of studies on the topic, show 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. (See Does the Sexual Orientation of Parents Matter? by Judith Stacey and Tim Biblarz in the American Sociological Review, April 2001.)

The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children, (American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics: Vol. 118 No. 1 July 2006, pp. 349-364)

Expanding Resources for Children: Is Adoption By Gays and Lesbians Part of the Answer for Boys and Girls Who Need Homes? (Jeanne Howard, Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, March 2006)

The High Cost of Denying Permanency (Prepared by Carl A. Schuh, J.D., M.A. and Karen M. Doering, J.D., National Center for Lesbian Rights)

Technical Report: Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents (Ellen C. Perrin, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2002)

Adoption by Lesbians and Gays: A National Survey of Adoption Agency Policies, Practices, and Attitudes (Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, 2003)

Lesbian and Gay Parenting: Summary of Research Findings (Charlotte J. Patterson, American Psychological Association, 1995)