The Scottish government has just published a report called "The Experiences of Children with Lesbian and Gay Parents." The Iowa Supreme Court and other advocates of same-sex marriage have touted "social-science evidence" in support of their conclusion, so this report is timely.
It examines only eight studies. None dealt with child outcomes such as school success, delinquency, etc. Instead the focus was on household dynamics and perceptions of parents' orientation. The report notes that only two studies employed a comparison group, five used "volunteer-based convenience samples," and all the studies relied "heavily or exclusively on self-reported data."
The section titled "Advantages of having a Lesbian or Gay Parent" identifies two. One study concluded children of lesbian mothers "felt they had developed a greater awareness of prejudice and a wider acceptance of diversity, especially with regard to sexual orientation." (Next report: Children of Latter-day Saints are less likely to believe that Mormons are a dangerous cult.)
Maggie Gallagher reports on some poll results:
the folks at Quinnipiac released a poll showing that when offered three choices (gay marriage, civil unions, or no recognition) just 33 percent of Americans support gay marriage — the same as last month's CBS News poll, using the same question.
They can't both be right.
Quinnipiac also found that on a straight-up "Would you support or oppose a law in your state that would allow same-sex couples to get married?" question, Americans oppose gay marriage 55 percent to 38 percent.
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