because they could produce an offspring like
mona charen.
mona's outdone herself this time. she takes a respected essay, "(how) does the sexual orientation of parents matter?", published in the american sociological review three years ago (just now catching up on your reading, mona?) and uses the conclusions arrived at by the authors judith stacey and timothy biblarz to contradict those same conclusions. not a simple feat.
basically, professors stacey and biblarz concluded that there is no evidence whatsoever that children raised by gay parents are worse off than those raised by heterosexual parents. from the
let him stay website, in a
recent interview with prof. stacey:
q: florida and conservative activists everywhere argue that heterosexuals make better parents than gay men or lesbians. is there anything in the body of social science research that supports this claim?
a: no, nothing at all. significant, reliable social scientific evidence indicates that lesbian and gay parents are as fit, effective and successful as heterosexual parents. the research also shows that children of same-sex couples are as emotionally healthy and socially adjusted and at least as educationally and socially successful as children raised by heterosexual parents. no credible social science evidence supports florida's claim.
but that doesn't stop mona. in a townhall piece, mona decides that being rasied by gay parents is harmful, because the children will grow up with a - gasp! - acceptance of homosexuality! mona says:
biblarz and stacey examined 21 studies of "lesbigay" couples' children compared with heterosexual parents' children. while all of the researchers had claimed to find "no difference" in outcomes between the two groups, biblarz and stacey disagree. there are statistically significant differences in gender identity, sexual experimentation and promiscuity. the authors are quick to add that these observed differences do not alarm them. they are happy to embrace a variety of family forms. and if gay parenting means more gay offspring, the authors are not alarmed by this.
that's right! if a kid is raised in a tolerant environment, he or she may not feel repressed or ashamed if he or she turns out to be gay! the horror! the horror!
to give mona credit, she does mention that the professors found out there's no hard evidence that gay parents turn out more gay children. but notice her caveat right after:
as biblarz and stacey observe, the majority of children raised in gay families turn out to be heterosexual in adulthood (bearing in mind the limitations of the research).
biblarz and stacey deserve credit for their honesty. but their breezy embrace of gay parenting is highly reminiscent of the cheerful accounts offered in the 1970s for divorce and single parent households. in those days, we were told that whatever made for a happier parent also made for a happier child. we are sadder and wiser now. the children are much sadder.
so, even though there's no problem, it reminds mona of a time 30 years ago when someone else said there wasn't a problem, but in her opinion, there was a problem on that different issue 30 years ago.
mona, take a pill. first of all, how can you, in one breath, reprimand the professors for their "limitations of the research," then turn around and casually toss off a similarity between gay parenting and divorced parents without any research to back up your claim whatsoever?
but secondly, and more importantly, your only complaint, mona, seems to be that kids raised in homosexual families aren't shocked or repulsed by homosexuality.
plus, she whines out of both sides of her mouth:
the research further shows that daughters raised by lesbians tend to have a larger number of sexual partners from puberty to adulthood than children in ordinary homes. it also, quite interestingly, shows that boys raised by lesbians have fewer sexual encounters than boys raised by heterosexual parents.
so, what's the problem, mona? is good or bad to have more slap and tickle in your adolescent life? or is it just that boys deserve to screw around more than girls, boys being boys and all, and girls have to be prim and proper and chaste, but these horrible homosexuals are reversing that trend!
to answer mona's shrill yet vague accusations, we re-direct you to prof. stacey's interview on the let him stay website:
there is not a single, respectable social scientist conducting and publishing research in this area today who claims that gay and lesbian parents harm children. the dubious studies you mention were produced primarily by people who have been discredited and even expelled from the american psychological association (apa) and the american sociological association (asa). when people claim that studies show gay parents harm children, they often cite people like paul cameron. paul cameron is the primary disreputable and discredited figure in this literature. he was expelled from the apa and censored by the asa for unethical scholarly practices, such as selective, misleading representations of research and making claims that could not be substantiated.
chill out, mona. them homo's ain't after yer kids!