"The Kids are All Right"

Thanks, Ben, for that refreshing cartoon about intolerant religious beliefs.

I would like to add some new scientific data to a discussion involving religious beliefs that has happened on Colby's Digest of Civil Discourse.

I have also posted this message and the links on the civil discourse.

http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec05/kids.html
http://www.apa.org/pi/parent.html

" In summary, there is no evidence to suggest that lesbians and gay men are unfit to be parents or that psychosocial development among children of gay men or lesbians is compromised in any respect relative to that among offspring of heterosexual parents. Not a single study has found children of gay or lesbian parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents. Indeed, the evidence to date suggests that home environments provided by gay and lesbian parents are as likely as those provided by heterosexual parents to support and enable children's psychosocial growth."

"...While the sexual orientation of the parents in Patterson's study did not predict the adolescents' social adjustment, the quality of the parent-child relationship did. Children who reported warm relationships with their parents tended to be the most mentally healthy and have the fewest problems in school."


As liberal arts students, and thus reasonable people, we should support the conclusions of scientists as guides for our beliefs.

I feel that this information proves that we should allow homosexual marriage in every state in the country. This data shows (a) that gay parents do no harm, and (b) that gay parents do equal good in raising children compared with straight parents.

In my own capacity I would like to emphasize that this information merely reinforces the core teachings of moral philosophers such as Jesus and Confucius: That love is what's important.

-Chad