Social Science Research
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 (How) 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)
- The Cost of Marriage Inequality to Children and Their Same-Sex Parents (Human Rights Campaign Foundation, 2005)