Stanford Study: Children of Gay Parents Do Just Fine

Another study by a top flight university has shot another major whole in the Christianists whining that children need a mother and a father in order to develop properly. This time the study is from Stanford University and it confirms what was found by a recent study done at the University of Virginia. The bottom line is that other than Christianist witch doctor like experts, there is no credible evidence to back up the anti-gay parent talking points recited ad nausea by Maggie Gallagher, Tony Perkins, Tim Wildmon, Robert Knight and the other parasites of the professional Christian organizations. They can whine all they want but their opinion - and that's all it is - boils down to two things: religious belief and bigotry. Oh, and maybe a desire to live well without having to have a real job. Here are highlights from Stanford University News on this latest study:
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In nearly every discussion, debate or lawsuit about gay marriage, the talk at some point turns to family values. Do gay couples make for good parents?
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The answers usually depend on who's giving them, and come dressed in anecdotes and colored by bias. But Stanford sociologist Michael Rosenfeld brings something new to the conversation: facts and figures derived from the country's largest data bank – the U.S. Census.*
In a study published this month in the journal Demography, Rosenfeld concludes that children being raised by same-sex couples have nearly the same educational achievement as children raised by married heterosexual couples.
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"The census data show that having parents who are the same gender is not in itself any disadvantage to children," he said. "Parents' income and education are the biggest indicators of a child's success. Family structure is a minor determinant."
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Rosenfeld's study shows that children of gay and married couples had lower grade-repetition rates than their peers raised by opposite-sex unmarried couples and single parents. And all children living in some type of family environment did much better than those living in group housing. Those who were awaiting adoption or placement in a foster home were held back about 34 percent of the time.
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"My research makes clear that there's a huge advantage to kids to be out of the care of the state and into the care of any family, even if the family is not perfectly optimal."
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Most personal decisions about gay marriage are based on gut feelings, religious beliefs and individual experiences. Rosenfeld knows his research isn't going to change the minds of most people opposed to same-sex unions. But he has added new data to the debate that helps debunk assertions – whether based on a lack of knowledge or some unfounded fear – that children raised by gay couples cannot thrive.
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To me, the real hysteria from the Christianists is due to the fact that, if their views on gays are proved wrong, what else in their fragile house of cards religious construct will likewise be proved wrong. Once their false religious construct begins to fall, their entire bogus "Biblical world view" comes crashing down. And rightly so.