There has been a growing debate as to how same-sex couples influence the behavior and attitude of the kids they are raising. Many believe that homosexual parents have a negative influence to children. Individuals against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) families criticize homosexual parents because of their variation from the norm, which they perceive to be a weakness. A home composed of homosexual parents lacks the touch of a mother and a father because it has either both mothers or fathers.
Despite the clamour against homosexual families, several studies show otherwise. A recent study by Jimi Adams and Ryan Light revealed that there is a consensus among scientists that children of same-sex parents experience "no difference" on a range of social and behavioral outcome when compared to children of single or heterosexual parents, EurekAlert has learned.
The study examined over a thousand of peer-reviewed articles on same-sex parenting and reviewd the pattern of its citation to works done by other researchers. Over time, Adams found out that the articles are citing the same research which supported the conclusion that same-sex parenting yields "no difference."
Adams examined the citation networks to check the shifts in content and determine when the scientific consensus relating to the matter was achieved. He then discovered that in 1990 there was already a developing consensus among researchers. However, it was in 2000 when researches reached an overwhelming consensus on the issue.
The research was timely with the U.S. Supreme Court that's on the verge of determining whether the Constitution requires equality in marriage. Adams and Light believed that the approach of their study can help the court.
Adam summarized the study relative to the issues in the court about the effects of same-sex parenting on children and said, "I wanted to analyze the research from the past decades to determine if there was consensus amongst researchers about that effect. I found overwhelming evidence that scientists agree that there is not a negative impact to children of same-sex couples."
Another study, conducted by the University of Melbourne last year, even suggested that children raised from same-sex parents are better when it comes to general behavior, general health and family cohesion.
The study believes that the even distribution of household responsibilities usually practices in a homosexual home contributes to harmonious living. Same-sex parents are less likely to conform to traditional gender roles that require a mother to stay at home and a father to work. According to Dr. Simon Crouch, the lead researcher of the said study, the nonconformance of same-sex parents to traditional gender roles leads to "a more harmonious family unit and therefore feeding on to better health and wellbeing," Medical Daily reports.
