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Science, Medicine, and Social Science Findings Overwhelmingly Favor Marriage Equality
"Prohibiting civil marriage for same-sex couples is discriminatory and unfairly denies such couples, their children and other members of their families the legal, financial and social advantages of civil marriage."
— American Psychological Association's (APA) Council of Representatives
"The American Psychiatric Association supports the legal recognition of same-sex civil marriage with all rights, benefits, and responsibilities conferred by civil marriage, and opposes restrictions to those same rights, benefits, and responsibilities."
"The American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that a considerable body of professional literature provides evidence that children with parents who are homosexual can have the same advantages and the same expectations for health, adjustment, and development as can children whose parents are heterosexual. When 2 adults participate in parenting a child, they and the child deserve the serenity that comes with legal recognition."
"The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, District IX (California), representing more than 5,000 physicians, dedicated to the health care of California's women, is pleased to support AB 43...The bill would amend state law to end the tradition of exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage and the social support and legal protections that come with it...the reasons for our support are multiple and are grounded in science and medicine."
— American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, District IX (California) in a letter to the California Assembly Judiciary Committee
Use the key resources below to learn more about how science, medicine, and social science findings overwhelmingly favor ending the exclusion of same-sex couples and their families from marriage.
FROM EVAN WOLFSON:
VIDEO: Public Policy Lecture Series: "Should State Legislatures Approve Same-Sex Marriage?"
Evan Wolfson debates parenting and marriage equality with David Blankenhorn of the Institute for American Values. Evan draws on the leading experts (American Academy of Pediatrics, Family Law Quarterly) who say ending discrimination in marriage would help families and hurt no one, emphasizing that marriage matters to everyone, no matter their political persuasion.
Streaming video from Pace Law School
Download video
Evan's opening remarks on YouTube
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WHERE YOU CAN GO TO GET INVOLVED OR LEARN MORE:
Human Rights Campaign: 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.
The Williams Institute
The Institute supports legal scholarship, legal research, policy
analysis, and education regarding legal issues that affect lesbian and
gay people with numerous reports on the economic impact of ending
discrimination in marriage.
Family Equality: Database of LGBTQ Family Research
In May of 2006, the Family Equality Council partnered with the
University of Pennsylvania's LGBT Center for our first ever Research
Symposium! Real facts about our families were shared from credible
academics who convened from all over the world. We have compiled all
of the research taken from the academic symposium and boiled it down
to make summaries of each study. The data is now accessible and easily
understandable. Feel free to search through the research to find
support in specific arguments, tidbits about your specific family
type, or just pure fun!
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PUBLICATIONS:
Policy reviews with references
Some of the leading national health organizations show support for marriage equality.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (IX)
This letter to the CA Assembly Judiciary Committee endorses California's Marriage Non-discrimination Act (AB 43, Leno)
American Psychoanalytic Association Position Statement in Support of Marriage Equality
The American Psychoanalytic Association supports the legal recognition of civil marriage for same-sex couples with all the rights, benefits and responsibilities conferred by civil marriage, and opposes discrimination against same-sex couples, and the denial to same-sex couples these same rights, benefits and responsibilities.
The Effect of Marriage Equality and Domestic Partnership on Business and the Economy
This report discusses how employer policies that treat employees with same-sex partners or spouses equally would improve the health and well-being of their families, which results in gains for both the employee and his or her family as well as to the employer.
The Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Relationships in the United States: A Social Science Perspective
Gregory M. Herek writes an up-to-date survey of social science research, and concludes that ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage would benefit the couples, their kids, and society; and that as the public has a chance to consider this evidence, support for marriage equality will continue to grow.
The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-Being of Children
Academy of Pediatrics' study finds marriage equality is good for children.
PRESS RELEASE: APA backs the legalization of marriage for same-sex couples
Denying same-sex couples legal access to civil marriage is
discriminatory and can adversely affect the Psychological, Physical,
Social and Economic Well-Being of Gay and Lesbian Individuals. Read
the American Psychological Association's professional opinion on the
freedom to marry:
Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Marriage and Resolution on Sexual Orientation, Parents, and Children.
Statement on Marriage and the Family
The Executive Board of the American Anthropological Association, the world's largest organization of anthropologists, released a statement in February 2004 in response to President Bush's call for an anti-marriage constitutional amendment. The statement strongly opposed such an amendment and noted, “anthropological research supports the conclusion that a vast array of family types, including families built upon same-sex partnerships, can contribute to stable and humane societies.”
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NEWS:
An Anthropologist Critiques Focus on the Family’s 'Anthropological' Report on Marriage
A guest post by Patrick M. Chapman, biological anthropologist and author of the forthcoming book, “Thou Shalt Not Love”: What Evangelicals Really Say to Gays provides a critical review of a recent Focus on the Family report and refutes the argument that an anthropological understanding of marriage undermines the case for marriage equality.
Psychoanalysts Support Legal Recognition of Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
The American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) has issued a position statement supporting the legal recognition of civil marriage for same-sex couples while opposing discrimination against same-sex couples. In recognition that gay and lesbian couples are raising children and possess the same potential and desire for life-long relationships as their heterosexual counterparts, the APsaA seeks to assist in ending the government-sanctioned discrimination against homosexual couples that denies them over 1,000 federal rights and benefits.
[Read position statement]
Gay couples as committed as non-gay couples
In two new studies that compared same-sex and heterosexual couples using different factors and methods to assess their happiness, scientists found few differences.
BLOG: Psychologist takes on science-free anti-gay article
Yesterday I posted an unbelievable press release by a San Diego-based
licensed clinical psychologist named Trayce Hansen, who attempted to
portray marriage equality as somehow dangerous to children. word got
to Dr. Thomas Marra, also a practicing clinical psychologist and
author, who decided he couldn't let Hansen's diatribe sit out there
unchallenged.
The kids are all right
A study commissioned by the former federal Liberal government was finally released to the public in May after its author had to resort to Canada's Access to Information Act to get the Tories to release it. The report compares the results of almost 50 North American, European and British studies about families headed by gay and lesbian parents from North America, with the results of another 25 studies of single-parent families. The international studies span the past 30 years.
I Do, But I Can't
Denying gay people the freedom to marry causes harms, including toll on psychological well-being, according to a policy paper from the National Sexuality Resource Center at San Francisco State University.
Read the Executive Summary here.
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From C-SPAN, Evan Wolfson debates parenting and marriage equality with David Blankenhorn of the Institute for American Values. Evan draws on the leading experts (American Academy of Pediatrics, Family Law Quarterly) who say ending discrimination in marriage would help families and hurt no one. This debate was held on March 14, 2007 at Pace Law School.
Streaming video from Pace Law School
Download video
Evan's opening remarks on YouTube
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.
Denying same-sex couples legal access to civil marriage is discriminatory and can adversely affect the Psychological, Physical, Social and Economic Well-Being of Gay and Lesbian Individuals. Read the American Psychological Association's professional opinion on the freedom to marry:
Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Marriage and Resolution on Sexual Orientation, Parents, and Children.
