ARTICLE ONE

Contributing to the debate over same-sex marriage By Dr. Gwendolyn Puryear Keita, APA Executive Director For The Public Interest Among APA's primary roles is increasing and disseminating knowledge about human behavior and applying what we know about psychology to address human concerns. A recent example of our work in these areas was our filing an amicus curie brief, along with the California Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association of Social Workers, in the California case that challenged the decision to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The court found that restricting marriage to same-sex couples violates the state constitution. In its decision, the court cited only APA's brief - one out of the 45 submitted. APA offered rigorous psychological evidence emphasizing the major impact stigma has on well-being, the benefits of marriage, and the lack of difference between lesbian and gay parents and heterosexual parents. Mahkamah mendapati bahawa menyekat perkahwinan kepada pasangan yang sama-seks melanggar perlembagaan negeri. Dalam keputusannya, mahkamah dinamakan sahaja APA yang ringkas - satu daripada 45 dikemukakan. APA ditawarkan bukti ketat psikologi menekankan stigma mempunyai kesan yang besar kepada kesejahteraan, manfaat perkahwinan, dan kekurangan perbezaan antara ibu bapa dan lesbian gay dan ibu bapa heteroseksual. According to the brief: 1. Homosexuality is neither a disorder nor a disease, but rather a normal variant of human sexual orientation. Homoseksual bukan satu penyakit atau penyakit, tetapi varian normal orientasi seksual manusia.The vast majority of social prejudice, discrimination and violence against lesbians, gay men and bisexuals takes a cumulative toll on the well-being of members in each of these forces, structural stigma "represents the policies of private and governmental institutions that restrict the opportunities of stigmatized groups groups. "Minority stress" is the term used by researchers to refer to the negative effects associated with the adverse social conditions experienced by those belonging to a stigmatized social group. As a product of sociopolitical." By legitimating and reinforcing the undesired differences of sexual minorities and by according them inferior status relative to heterosexuals, structural stigma gives rise to individual acts against them, subsequently increasing levels of stress as a result. 2. Substantial numbers of gay and lesbian couples are successful in forming stable, long-lasting, committed relationships. Empirical studies using nonrepresentative samples of gay men and lesbians show that the vast majority of participants have been involved in a committed relationship at some point in their lives. Data from the 2000 U.S. Census indicate that of the 5.5 million couples who were living together but not married, about one in nine had a same-sex partner.

3. Being married affords individuals a variety of benefits that have important implications for physical and mental health and for the quality of the relationship itself. These health benefits do not appear to result from simply being in an intimate relationship because most studies have found that married men and women generally experience better physical and mental health than their cohabitating unmarried counterparts. Berkahwin mampu individu pelbagai manfaat yang mempunyai implikasi penting untuk kesihatan fizikal dan mental dan kualiti hubungan itu sendiri. Kebaikan-kebaikan kesihatan tidak muncul untuk menyebabkan daripada hanya berada di dalam hubungan intim kerana kebanyakan kajian telah mendapati bahawa lelaki dan perempuan berkahwin pada amnya mengalami kesihatan yang lebih baik fizikal dan mental daripada rakan-rakan cohabitating mereka yang belum berkahwin. 4. Empirical research has consistently shown that lesbian and gay parents do not differ from heterosexuals in their parenting skills, and their children do not show any deficits compared with children raised by heterosexual parents. Penyelidikan empirikal telah menunjukkan secara konsisten bahawa ibu bapa lesbian dan gay tidak berbeza daripada heteroseksual dalam kemahiran keibubapaan mereka, dan anak-anak mereka tidak menunjukkan sebarang defisit berbanding dengan kanakkanak yang dibangkitkan oleh ibu bapa heteroseksual. In addition, if their parents are allowed to marry, the children of same-sex couples will benefit not only from the legal stability and other familial benefits that marriage provides, but also from elimination of state-sponsored stigmatization of their families. In 2004, APA's Council of Representatives adopted two resolutions relevant to this issue, which can be found on APA's Public Interest Directorate Web pages. In the Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Marriage, it was resolved, based on empirical research concerning sexual orientation and marriage, "that the APA believes that it is unfair and discriminatory to deny same-sex couples legal access to civil marriage and to all its attendant benefits, rights, and privileges." In the Resolution on Sexual Orientation, Parents, and Children, the association recognized that "There is no scientific evidence that parenting effectiveness is related to parental sexual orientation:' percaya bahawa ia adalah tidak adil dan diskriminasi untuk menafikan pasangan yang sama-seks akses undang-undang untuk perkahwinan sivil dan semua faedah atendan, hak, dan keistimewaan. "Dalam Resolusi pada Orientasi seksual, ibu bapa, dan Kanak-kanak, persatuan itu mengakui bahawa" Tiada ada bukti saintifik bahawa keberkesanan keibubapaan adalah berkaitan dengan orientasi seksual ibu bapa: Adopting these and similar resolutions and filing amicus briefs are but two of the many ways that APA demonstrates its steadfast commitment to providing scientific and educational resources and support to inform public discussion and a clear and objective understanding of these issues.
Source: http://www.drcraigpeterson.com/LGBTArticles.en.html

ARTICLE TWO
Consensus
The scientific research that has directly compared outcomes for children with gay and lesbian parents with outcomes for children with heterosexual parents has been generally consistent in showing that lesbian and gay parents are as fit and capable as heterosexual parents, and their children are as psychologically healthy and well-adjusted as children reared by heterosexual parents ibu bapa lesbian dan gay adalah seperti yang layak dan mampu ibu bapa heteroseksual, dan anak-anak mereka adalah seperti psikologi sihat dan diselaraskan sebagai kanak-kanak yang dipelihara oleh ibu bapa [3][4][5] heteroseksual, despite the reality that considerable legal discrimination and inequity remain [4] significant challenges for these families. Major associations of mental health professionals in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, have not identified credible empirical research that suggests [5][6][7][8][9] otherwise. Literature indicates that parents financial, psychological and physical well-being is enhanced by marriage and that children benefit from being raised by two parents within a legally[5][6][22][23] recognized union. Since the 1970s, it has become increasingly clear that it is family processes (such as the quality of parenting, the psychosocial well-being of parents, the quality of and satisfaction with relationships within the family, and the level of co-operation and harmony between parents) that contribute to determining childrens well-being and outcomes, rather than family structures, per se, such as the [4][22] number, gender, sexuality and co-habitation status of parents. Since the end of the 1980s, as a result, it has been well established that children and adolescents can adjust just as well in [22] nontraditional settings as in traditional settings. Judith Stacey, of New York University, stated: Rarely is there as much consensus in any area of social science as in the case of gay parenting, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics and

all of the major professional organizations with expertise in child welfare have issued reports and resolutions in support of gay and lesbian parental rights terdapat sebanyak konsensus di kawasan di mana sains sosial seperti dalam kes ibu bapa gay, yang adalah mengapa American Academy of Pediatrics dan semua pertubuhan-pertubuhan profesional utama yang mempunyai kepakaran dalam kebajikan kanak-kanak telah mengeluarkan laporan dan resolusi yang menyokong gay dan lesbian [24] [6] ibu bapa hak. These organizations include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American [1] [25] Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Psychiatric Association, the American [26] [27] Psychological Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the National Association of [28] [29] Social Workers, the Child Welfare League of America, the North American Council on Adoptable [30] [31] Children, and Canadian Psychological Association. In 2006, Gregory M. Herek stated in American Psychologist: "If gay, lesbian, or bisexual parents were inherently less capable than otherwise comparable heterosexual parents, their children would evidence problems regardless of the type of sample. This pattern clearly has not been observed. Given the consistent failures in this research literature to disprove the null hypothesis, the burden of empirical proof is on those who argue that the children of sexual minority parents fare worse than the children of heterosexual [7] parents." According to report by American Psychological Association: "In summary, research on diversity among families with lesbian and gay parents and on the potential effects of such diversity on children is still sparse (Martin, 1993, 1998; Patterson, 1995b, 2000, 2001, 2004; Perrin, 2002; Stacey & Biblarz, 2001; Tasker, 1999). Data on children of parents who identify as bisexual are still not available, and information about children of non-White lesbian or gay parents is hard to find (but see Wainright et al., 2004, for a racially diverse sample)... However, the existing data are still limited, and any conclusions must be seen as tentative... It should be acknowledged that research on lesbian and gay parents and their children, though no longer new, is still limited in extent. Although studies of gay fathers and their children have been conducted (Patterson, 2004), less is known about children of gay fathers than about children of lesbian mothers. Although studies of adolescent and young adult offspring of lesbian and gay parents are available. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_parenting

ARTICLE THREE
Parenting & Family: responses to the most frequent objections Lesbian and gay parenting harm children.
No. There is absolutely no empirical evidence to support the claim that LGBT parenting harms children. Psychologist Charlotte Patterson reports that "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. To the contrary, social science research indicates that LGBT individuals and same-sex couples can parent as well as their heterosexual counterparts and, in fact, may be better at managing disagreements than heterosexual parents. Children of gay and lesbian parents are as happy, healthy and emotionally well-adjusted as other children, have good relationships with their peers Kanak-kanak ibu bapa gay dan lesbian adalah seperti gembira, sihat dan emosi yang diselaraskan seperti kanak-kanak lain mempunyai hubungan yang baik dengan rakan-rakan mereka (although sometimes they are subject to anti-gay harassment), and are less inclined to hold stereotypical understandings of gender roles and more likely to be tolerant of differences in others. Research on transgender parents has made similar findings.

Married heterosexual parents better than lesbian and gay parents.

No. Studies show that lesbians and gay men make just as good parents as their heterosexual counterparts, and that the presence of a married father and mother is not a prerequisite to good outcomes for children. Kajian menunjukkan bahawa lesbian dan lelaki gay membuat hanya sebagai ibu bapa yang baik seperti rakan-rakan heteroseksual mereka, dan bahawa kehadiran seorang bapa yang sudah berkahwin dan ibu bukan prasyarat untuk hasil yang baik untuk kanak-kanak.

Lesbian and gay individuals more likely to sexually abuse children.

No. The link between pedophilia and homosexuality is completely unfounded. A 1998 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association notes one study that determined that 90 percent of pedophiles are men, and that 98 percent of these individuals are heterosexual. Michael Stevenson, Ph.D., a psychologist at Ball State University, explains this statistic by noting that "gay men desire consensual sexual relations with other adult men. Pedophiles are usually adult men who are sexually attracted to pre-pubescent children. They are rarely sexually attracted to other adults." Stevenson observes that cases of pedophilia by adult lesbians are "almost non-existent." Two other major studies that examined the sexual orientation of convicted child molesters found that less than 1 percent in one study and 0 percent in the other were lesbian or gay. These studies were published in Pediatrics and Archives of Sexual Behavior, respectively, two peer-reviewed, widely respected academic journals. Preventing gay men and lesbians from becoming adoptive parents or foster parents does not protect children from sexual abuse. It simply perpetuates anti-gay prejudice.

Children need a mother and a father to have proper male and female role models. Kanak-kanak memerlukan ibu dan bapa untuk mempunyai model peranan yang betul lelaki dan perempuan.
No. Children get their role models from many places besides their parents. These include grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, friends and neighbors. Kanak-kanak mendapat model peranan mereka dari tempat-tempat selain daripada ibu bapa mereka. Ini termasuk datuk dan nenek, ibu saudara dan bapa saudara, guru-guru, rakan-rakan dan jiran-jiran. In a case-by-case evaluation, trained professionals can, and should be free to, ensure that the child being adopted or placed in foster care is transitioning into an environment with adequate role models.

Source: http://www.thetaskforce.org/issues/parenting_and_family/questions

CONTENTION MAPS
Homosexuality is neither a disorder nor a disease.

Reason: It is a normal variant of human sexual orientation

Lesbian and gay parents do not differ from heterosexuals in their parenting skills

Reason: Their children do not show any deficits compared with children raised by heterosexual parents.

The APA believes that it is unfair and discriminatory to deny same-sex legal access to civil marriages rights.

Reason: There is no scientific evidence that parenting effectiveness is related to parental sexual orientation.

Lesbian and gay parents are as fit and capable of heterosexual parents

Reason: Their children are as psychologically healthy and well-adjusted children reared by heterosexual parents.

American Academy of Paediatrics and all of the major professional organizations with expertise in child welfare have issued reports and resolutions in support of gay and lesbian parental rights.

Reason: There is rarely as

much consensus in any area of social science as in the case of gay parenting.

OBJECTION MAPS
APA offered rigorous psychological evidence emphasizing the major impact stigma has on wellbeing, the benefits of marriage, and the lack of difference between lesbian and gay parents and heterosexual parents.

The court found that restricting marriage to same-sex couples violates the state constitution.

Being married affords individuals a variety of benefits that have important implications for physical and mental health and for the quality of the relationship itself.

These health benefits do not appear to result from simply being in an intimate relationship because most studies have found that married men and women generally experience better physical and mental health than their cohabitating unmarried counterparts.

Lesbian and gay parenting harm children.

Children of gay and lesbian parents are as happy, healthy and emotionally welladjusted as other children, have good relationships with their peers.

Married heterosexual parents are better than lesbian and gay parents.

Studies show that lesbians and gay men make just as good parents as their heterosexual counterparts, and that the presence of a married father and mother is not a prerequisite to good outcomes for children.

Children need a mother and a father to have proper male and female role models.

Children get their role models from many places besides their parents. These include grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, friends and neighbours.