We have been left with large, scientifically strong studies showing children do best with their married mother and father–but which do not make comparisons with homosexual parents or couples; and studies which purportedly show that children of homosexuals do just as well as other children–but which are methodologically weak and thus scientifically inconclusive.<\/p>\n
This logjam of dueling studies has been broken by the work that Regnerus has undertaken. Unlike the many large studies previously undertaken on family structure, Regnerus (“How different are the adult children of parents who have same-sex relationships? Findings from the New Family Structures Study,” Social Science Research<\/em> Vol 41, Issue 4 [July 2012], pp. 752-770) has included specific comparisons with children raised by homosexual parents.<\/p>\n Unlike the previous studies on children of homosexual parents, he has put together a representative, population-based sample that is large enough to draw scientifically and statistically valid conclusions. For these reasons, his “New Family Structures Study” (NFSS) deserves to be considered the “gold standard” in this field. […]<\/p>\n Regnerus has analyzed his findings, and their statistical significance, in two ways–first by a simple and direct comparison between what is reported by the children of homosexual parents and the children of “intact biological families” (“IBFs”), and second by “controlling” for a variety of other characteristics. “Controlling for income,” for example, would mean showing that “IBF” children do not do better just because their married parents have higher incomes, but that they do better even when the incomes of their households and the households of homosexual parents are the same. Again, Regnerus has done these comparisons for “LMs” (children of “lesbian mothers”) and “GFs” (children of gay fathers) separately. […]<\/p>\n Compared with children raised by their married biological parents<\/strong> (IBF), children of homosexual parents (LM and GF):<\/p>\n Are much more likely to have received welfare (IBF 17%; LM 69%; GF 57%)<\/em><\/p>\n Have lower educational attainment<\/em><\/p>\n Report less safety and security in their family of origin<\/em><\/p>\n Report more ongoing “negative impact” from their family of origin<\/em><\/p>\n Are more likely to suffer from depression<\/em><\/p>\n Have been arrested more often<\/em><\/p>\n If they are female, have had more sexual partners–both male and female<\/em><\/p>\n The high mathematical standard of “statistical significance” was more difficult to reach for the children of “gay fathers” in this study because there were fewer of them. The following, however, are some additional areas in which the children of lesbian mothers (who represented 71% of all the children with homosexual parents in this study) differed from the IBF children, in ways that were statistically significant in both a direct comparison and with controls.<\/p>\n Children of lesbian mothers<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Are more likely to be currently cohabiting<\/em><\/p>\n Are almost 4 times more likely to be currently on public assistance<\/em><\/p>\n Are less likely to be currently employed full-time<\/em><\/p>\n Are more than 3 times more likely to be unemployed<\/em><\/p>\n Are nearly 4 times more likely to identify as something other than entirely heterosexual<\/em><\/p>\n Are 3 times as likely to have had an affair while married or cohabiting<\/em><\/p>\n Are an astonishing 10 times more likely to have been “touched sexually by a parent or other adult caregiver.”<\/em><\/p>\n Are nearly 4 times as likely to have been “physically forced” to have sex against their will<\/em><\/p>\n Are more likely to have “attachment” problems related to the ability to depend on others<\/em><\/p>\n Use marijuana more frequently<\/em><\/p>\n Smoke more frequently<\/em><\/p>\n Watch TV for long periods more frequently<\/em><\/p>\n Have more often pled guilty to a non-minor offense<\/em><\/p>\n Differences in Sexuality<\/em><\/p>\n When comparing children of homosexuals with children of married biological parents, the differences in sexuality–experiences of sexual abuse, number of sexual partners, and homosexual feelings and experiences among the children themselves–were among the most striking. While not all of the findings mentioned below have the same level of “statistical significance” as those mentioned above, they remain important.<\/p>\n At one time, defenders of homosexual parents not only argued that their children do fine on psychological and developmental measures, but they also said that children of homosexuals “are no more likely to be gay” than children of heterosexuals.<\/p>\n That claim will be impossible to maintain in light of this study. It found that children of homosexual fathers are nearly 3 times as likely, and children of lesbian mothers are nearly 4 times as likely, to identify as something other than entirely heterosexual<\/em>.<\/p>\n Children of lesbian mothers are 75% more likely, and children of homosexual fathers are 3 times more likely, to be currently in a same-sex romantic relationship.<\/em><\/p>\n The same holds true with the number of sexual partners.<\/p>\n Both males and females who were raised by both lesbian mothers and homosexual fathers have more opposite-sex (heterosexual) partners than children of married biological parents (daughters of homosexual fathers had twice as many). But the differences in homosexual conduct are even greater.<\/p>\n The daughters of lesbians have 4 times as many female (that is, same-sex) sexual partners than the daughters of married biological parents, and the daughters of homosexual fathers have 6 times as many. Meanwhile, the sons of both lesbian mothers and homosexual fathers have 7 times as many male (same-sex) sexual partners as sons of married biological parents.<\/em><\/p>\n The most shocking and troubling outcomes, however, are those related to sexual abuse<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Children raised by a lesbian mother were 10 times more likely to have been “touched sexually by a parent or other adult caregiver” (23% reported this, vs. only 2% for children of married biological parents), while those raised by a homosexual father were 3 times more likely (reported by 6%).<\/em><\/p>\n In his text, but not in his charts, Regnerus breaks out these figures for only female victims, and the ratios remain similar (3% IBF; 31% LM; 10% GF).<\/p>\n As to the question of whether you have “ever been physically forced” to have sex against your will (not necessarily in childhood), affirmative answers came from 8% of children of married biological parents, 31% of children of lesbian mothers (nearly 4 times as many), and 25% of the children of homosexual fathers (3 times as many).<\/em><\/p>\n Again, when Regnerus breaks these figures out for females (who are more likely to be victims of sexual abuse in general), such abuse was reported by 14% of IBFs, but 3 times as many of the LMs (46%) and GFs (52%).<\/em> […]<\/p>\n ________<\/p>\n