Ok, so here I go again.
Last night, after I was done straining my eyes studying a music score printed by nanites at .0004 point font, I decided to take a break and check out the Saturday offerings for dailyKos. That's when I ran across this diary. I saw the title, and I immediately assumed the worst. But I sucked it up and read it. It was definitely not what I expected. Thoughtful, genuinely inquisitive, well-written, clear.... rec'd and tipped....
But I am not here to pimp Stuart's diary. In fact, I was going to write a rebuttal on why this gay man is sick and tired of justifying his existence to people who just don't "get it" {or don't want to "get it"} and why, in the end, it does no good. Then I thought "why should I do someone else's homework for them?"
The honest answer is obvious: maybe because this diarist hasn't lived my life for the last 25 years and hasn't had to think about any of this because his emotional/psychological {and sometimes literal} survival did not depend on knowing a defense against "Teh Gay is icky because my religion said so."
Great. And where does one begin?
So here I am, with my very limited store of knowledge, and I am going to attempt to create a "Start Here" list of scientific studies, reference books, quotes both pithy and profound, and whatever I have dug up in the last 20+ years of having to know this stuff, which rebuts the various rationalized "supportive" aspects of "Teh Gay™ is icky because my religion said so."
The specific topics/questions being addressed will be in bold, followed by a brief commentary. Cites will be given in blockquote.
I hope this makes it easier to wade through.
This will not be short.
Follow me below the fleur de Kos, if you dare......
Stuart's diary raised some important questions, and in my effort to be concise {or at least not write a 500 page PhD thesis}, I am going to paraphrase the anti-gay ideas, in my own words, as they have and do come up in real life. Feel free to interpret, translate, and re-word those ideas as needed.
The Reality of "Teh Gay™ is icky
After all is said, rationalized, regurgitated, twisted, and spewn, this is what "Teh Gay™ is icky" boils down to:
"The persecution of homosexuals fulfills the same function of 'bad faith' as racial prejudice or discrimination. In both cases one's shaky identity is guaranteed by the counterimage of the despised group. As Sarte has shown in his description of the anti-Semite, one legitimates oneself by hating the figure one has set up as the opposite of oneself. The white man despises the Negro and in that very act confirms his own identity as one entitled to show contempt. In the same way, one comes to believe in one's
own dubious virility as one spits upon the homosexual." -- p. 159, Invitation to Sociology, Peter L. Berger
The Buzz Word List
Often we hear conservative, right-wing, gay-hating religionists speak of homosexuality in less than flattering terms. In fact, there is an entire cadre of coded language used to disparage, denigrate, and demean the GLBT community. The following is a list of some of those terms, with brief translations into regular English, and a standard definition.
Sexual orientation -- code for homosexuality. Often heard in the claim, "I don't mind her sexual orientation, but I just wish she wouldn't flaunt it."
Actual definition: the clinical "umbrella term" used to describe one of the four categories of the innate emotional/erotic/romantic attraction one human being feels for another.
There are four sexual orientations (hetero-, homo-, bi-, and asexual). Everyone has a sexual orientation.
Homosexuality -- code for "gay sex," can also be a euphemism for anal sex when applied to gay men. Often heard in the claim, "Homosexuality is gross, and God hates homosexuality." This re-defining of the word also enables the "Homosexuality is a sin" schtick {cf Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin below}.
Actual definition: the innate emotional/erotic/romantic attraction to one's own gender. (Yes, I am misusing "gender" to mean "sex." You and I know that nouns have gender, and people possess sex, but among the gay-hating fundies, sex = the deed, as in sexual intercourse)
Even though nouns ending in -ity refer to state of being and not activity/behavior, the gay-haters do conflate the two (state of being and behavior), and when pressed, they will oftentimes deny that they were attacking the person's state of being, even though the re-defining of the word allows them to do just that. That's how the Roman Catholic Church gets away with their "intrinsically disordered" and "objectively disordered" schtick -- they re-defined the word homosexuality as the behavior (cf Catechism of ther Catholic Church, ¶ 2357, or click the link).
Gay lifestyle -- another dog whistle, usually heard as "The gay lifestyle is icky." Code for "Gays don't love; they only have sex." Usually synonymous with "alternative lifestyle."
Actual definition -- there is none. It's just a buzzword. I think this sums it up best:
“Defining homosexuals solely on the basis of specific sexual acts and calling it a 'lifestyle' is an intellectual slight of hand which allows them to reduce the scope of our human existence down to an area compassed by a brief few passionate
moments that heterosexuals will not have in common with us in its specific detail. It is the knife by which they gut the heart and soul out of living people, so they can treat us as less than human. Remember the bigot's mating call:
‘Heterosexuals love... homosexuals just have sex.’ " -- Bruce Garrett
Flaunting one's sexuality -- Ah, yes, my personal fave among the buzzwords. Often heard as, "I don't mind that Biff is gay, but I just wish he wouldn't flaunt it."
Translation:
1) STFU
2) Biff should do or say nothing which reminds the speaker that Biff is gay. This includes mentioning dates, talking about GLBT community events, wearing a wedding ring, displaying pics of himself with his partner, saying his partner's name, acknowledging his partner, bringing his partner to the office Xmas party, being seen in public at a GLBT function, reading GQ for the articles, or, in general, "acting gay" {cf next entry, "acting gay"}.
Acting gay -- similar to "flaunting your sexuality, "acting gay" is a general alert for the gay-hater to other gay-haters that a GLBT person is flaunting their sexuality {cf entry above}, but the GLBT person will not repent of flaunting their sexuality and will not "tone it down" or "keep it to him-/herself." {Both phrases in quotes are coded synonyms for "acting gay" and "flaunting your sexuality."}
Homosexuality is not natural
This dog whistle code for "Teh Gay™ is icky because my religion said so" was making the rounds before dirt was invented. Sadly for the bigots espousing this, they are unaware of the definition of "unnatural" is "not occuring in nature." Also, be reminded that "homosexuality" is their buzzword for "gay sex" {hence, anal sex, because all gay sex is anal sex [eye roll]}.
But whether discussing the state of being or the activity, homosexuality does indeed occur in nature. There have been many exhaustive treatises on species of animals who have homosexuals in the phylum genus -- from bonobo chimps to those irrepressible African penguins
Ray and Silo to the two gay dogs everyone had in their neighborhood when they were growing up -- well, let's just say it gives a whole new meaning to the saying, "We're queer, we're here...."
This should also come as no surprise to anyone who has ventured out of their cave in the last century or so. Homosexuality manifested as sexual behavior has been well-documented, but more importantly -- homosexual pair-bonding to create familial groupings has also been observed and codified. The first scientific study to document both manifestations was:
Karsch-Haack, Ferdinand "Liebe auf Sozialität? Eine begründete Zurückweisung" (1905)
And while a heady scientific thesis in German {probably printed in Fraktur font as well} is certainly not light reading, even for German speakers, it is a cite that can be used to point out that homosexuality in nature is neither new nor shocking.
IMO, the seminal work on The Big H among animals is:
Bagemihl, Bruce "Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and
Natural Diversity" Stonewall Inn Editions (April 1, 2000) ISBN: 031225377X
The Bagemihl book is written for laypersons.
Homosexuality is wrong because my someone told me my ancient holy book said so
Yes, this is a specific reference to the Christian Bible. And yes, the comment is aspersive toward the gay-hating Christians who rely on what their pastor or Bible "study" group leader or Pat Robertson (who has to be on his last resurrection potion) says, no matter how ignorant, uninformed, or just plain wrong. And from this intellectual egregiousness has risen the view that.... everybody, say it with me..... "Teh Gay™ is icky." As John Spong once said:
"Let me say this carefully, but clearly. Anyone who elevates their prejudices to the position where they are defended as the will of God is evil. Anybody who justifies their denigration of another person's being based upon a quotation from an ancient sacred text called the Word of God is simply out of touch with contemporary scholarship. Anybody who will not open themselves to the new knowledge readily available in medical and scientific circles because it calls into question their uninformed attitudes is profoundly ignorant." -- John Spong
There are exactly six problematic passages in the Bible, which fundies have used to denigrate GLBT's. Volumes have been written on the bad translations {from homophobe King James onward} and the contextual, societal meanings of the mistranslated words. Those 6 "clobber passages" (and their "problems") are:
Genesis 19:1-5 -- the story of Lot and the city of Sodom. He was the guy who offered his virgin daughters up for gang rape before leaving the city, getting drunk, and then having sex with his daughters. He was the hero of the story. Fundies will often say that the sin of Sodom was homosexuality, but sadly for them, the Bible says that the sin of sodom was actually inhospitality {cf Ezekiel 16:49, Matthew 10: 5-15, Wisdom 19:13-14}.
Leviticus 18:22 -- the "it's abomination" passage. The Hebrew word being used as "abomination" {to-evah} actually means "ritually unclean."
Leviticus 20:13 -- the "it's abomination and we should kill them" passage. Also referred to as the "fatwa against gays" passage. This one suffers from the mistranslation of "abomination" {cf previous entry} and the Hebrew "qa-desh" {male temple prostitute}.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 -- the "abusers of themselves with mankind" verse. The original Greek word meant "male prostitute."
1 Timothy 1:9-10 -- the "defile themselves with mankind" verse -- mistranslation of the Greek "arsenokoitai"
Romans 1:21-31 -- this is the weird one where God taught some people a lesson for being naughty by giving them "up to vile passions." Mistranslation of the Greek phrase "para physin," which means "contrary to that which is innate."
For the detailed explanation, check out:
Helminiak, Daniel What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality, Alamo Square Press, 1994 ISBN-13: 978-1886360099
Love the sinner, hate the sin
They love love
LOVE to screech this one. Because, you know, it's all about the love. Well, except for the part where it says "hate."
Small problem -- semantically, "sinners" are defined by the "sin."
Adulterer -- one who commits adultery
Glutton -- one who commits gluttony
Murderer -- one who commits murder
Idolator -- one who commits idolatry
Fornicator -- one who commits fornication
Sinner -- one who commits sin
Even from this small list of "sin," it's apparent that "sin" is an action or behavior. Homosexuality is neither action nor behavior, in reality.... unless the word is re-defined to make it about behavior {cf The Buzzword List above}. And when other "sin" is ignored, this creates a hierarchy of "sin" which enables the right-wing Christian to look down on homosexuals as worse "sinners."
With this hierarchy of "sin" in place, the right-wing anti-gay Christian now has the means to rationalize the denigration of GLBT's, all while denying that any of it exists by simply mouthing the words "But we're all sinners." The meme is patently false, of course.
Homosexuals can not be Christians
Unrepentant sinners blah blah blah, change your evil ways muckamucka, the Bible is clear blahblah biddee blah. And yet, leading theological scholars say otherwise:
"The same applies to the concept of an 'exclusively homosexually orientated person.' This was a discovery of only 150 years ago. Go to the Bible and it simply is not there. Often, people speak of the clear Biblical teaching about how to deal pastorally with homosexual people, but that is a real howler. The Bible knows nothing
of the existence of homosexual people. No doubt there were such people in the ancient world and others would have had the experience of engaging with them, but they were blind to their existence as 'homosexually orientated people' because they did not yet have the concept of 'exclusive homosexual orientation' with which to order their raw experiences." -- Dr. Peter Carnley, Anglican Archbishop of Perth, PhD Cambridge
"There is nothing in the Bible regarding homosexual orientation. In fact, the Bible does not concern itself with sexual orientation. It does speak out probably against gang rape, male prostitution for religious purposes, and pederasty (sex between an adult
and youth). I lead Bible study programs on this subject and am convinced that the Bible does not address the issue of a person's sexual orientation." -- Dr. Bill Stayton (Baptist)
"I am aware of the concern for certain homosexual acts and see no addressing of the condition or orientation [in the Scriptures]." -- Bishop Milton L. Wood {Episcopalian}
"I believe that the Hebrew Bible strongly condemns homosexuality. While it is part of my tradition, I do not regard all Biblical laws as binding on me. The Biblical condemnation of homosexuality is based on human ignorance, suspicion of those who are different, and an overwhelming concern for ensuring the survival of the people. Since the
Bible regards homosexuality as a capital crime, it clearly assumes that homosexuality is a matter of free choice, a deliberate rebellion against God. We have learned from modern science that people do not choose to be gay or straight; hence it is neither logical
nor moral to condemn those whose nature it is to be gay or lesbian." -- Rabbi Chaim Marder
"The Scriptural references to homosexuality make no comment on lesbianism. They object to male homosexuality on three grounds: cultic prostitution, unnaturalness, and "spilling seed" or Onanism. Homosexuality has been shown to be natural in animals and humans. Gay men today are not involved in cultic acts. And the spilling of the
seed through heterosexual, or masturbatory acts is not an issue for me. Thus I take this prohibition no more seriously than many others, such as that against lending money at interest, that do not make sense in this time and place." -- Rabbi Dr. David Teutsch
"Biblical scholars are busy restudying the few verses which have often been regarded as anti-homosexual. One thing is clear, these few verses do not refer to homosexuality as we understand and use that term today. The Biblical texts do speak against sexual exploitation and rape whether committed by persons with a heterosexual or homosexual orientation. The great message of Scripture is of a God of unbounded love for the human family. If God has any preference at all, it is for "the least," "the lost" and "the last." God's amazing grace, compassion, and salvation is open to everyone. Jesus is very clear in placing his gospel beyond the limitations of churches and denominations." -- Bishop Stanley E. Olson {Lutheran}
"The Scriptures are very important because they teach us God's love for all, gay or straight. But the Scriptures are old, thousands of years old, written even before the word "homosexual" existed. Same sex acts involving the genitals - we call these "homogenital" - seem in Scripture to be thought of as the result of idol worship. See, for
example, Romans 1:18-27. Nor do the Scriptures seem to understand what we mean today by "sexual orientation." Sexual acts which are injurious, disrespectful, or unloving toward the other person are wrong. So I believe that the Scriptures approve of homosexuality and even homogenital acts that are kind, generous, loving, and respectful of the other person, just as in the case of heterosexuality and heterogenital acts." -- Dr. George R. Edwards, PhD {Presbyterian}
"A careful and sensitive reading of the Scriptures does not lead to the automatic conclusion that homosexuality is a sin. There are passages, especially in the "holiness literature" that suggest this conclusion. However, the overall message of Scripture in this matter is far more positive than negative. Biblically, the issue is the
goodness of human sexuality and the use of that gift in covenant relationship. For me a more important question is that of the relationship of God in Christ to a human being. In that relationship I see no barriers, even sexual ones." -- Rev. Harry L. Holfelder {Presbyterian}
But The Bible Is Clear...
Ok, fine. So, if the Bible, written over a 3000 year period and selectively edited and colated less than 2000 years ago {and then updated, edited, translated, mistranslated, re-translated, and fixed repeatedly and now appears in over 200 versions} is clear, then how come the word "homosexuality" appears in the texts? Did I forget to mention that the word "homosexuality" wasn't coined until 1869 by an Austro-Hungarian human rights activist named
Karl-Maria Kertbeny?
Nice try......
Homosexuality is a mental illness
Even going back to Freud, many in the psychological fields did not accept a diagnosis of homosexuality as a mental illness {mostly because it lacked pathology}:
"Homosexuality is assuredly no advantage, but it is nothing to be
ashamed of, no vice, no degradation, it cannot be classified as an illness; we consider it to be a variation of the sexual function produced by a certain arrest of sexual development. Many highly respectable individuals of ancient and modern times have been homosexuals, several of the greatest men among them (Plato, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, etc.). It is a great injustice to persecute homosexuality as a crime, and cruelty too...."-- Dr. Sigmund Freud, American Journal of Psychiatry, 1951, 107, 786.
Before Freud's announcement {which should have been a HUGE clue since it came from the man whi invented psychotherapy}, the American psychological establishment considered homosexuality to be the pathology, not resulting from a pathology.
In the 1950's, an enterprising researcher named
Evelyn Hooker embarked on research to prove that homosexuality was, in and of itself, pathology. But she approached the study from 3 different vantage points:
1. She compared the psychological adjustment of homosexuals and heterosexuals.
2. She asked other experts to rate that adjustment without revealing the sexual orientation of the test subjects, and
3. Rather than studying psychiatric patients, she recruited a sample group of gay men who lived in society and were not psych patients.
All of this removed the bias which had created the idea that homosexuality was pathology.
Her results surprised her -- she found that the gay men in her sample were "normal." Subsequent studies have verified her findings.
Hooker, E. (1957). The adjustment of the male overt homosexual. Journal
of Projective Techniques, 21, 18-31.
Berube, A. (1990). Coming out under fire: The history of gay men and
women in World War II. New York: Free Press
Gonsiorek, J.C. (1982). Results of psychological testing on homosexual
populations. American Behavioral Scientist, 25 (4), 385-396.
Ford, C.S., & Beach, F.A. (1951). Patterns of sexual behavior. New York:
Harper & Brothers.
Freedman, M. (1971). Homosexuality and psychological functioning.
Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Gonsiorek, J.C. (1991). The empirical basis for the demise of the
illness model of homosexuality. In J. Gonsiorek & J. Weinrich (Eds.),
Homosexuality: Research implications for public policy (pp. 115-136).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Reiss, B.F. (1980). Psychological tests in homosexuality. In J.Marmor
(Ed.), Homosexual behavior: A modern reappraisal (pp. 296-311). New
York: Basic Books.
Bayer, R. (1987). Homosexuality and American psychiatry: The politics of
diagnosis (2nd Ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Haldeman, D.C. (1991). Conversion therapy for gay men and lesbians: A
scientific examination. In J. Gonsiorek & J. Weinrich (Eds.),
Homosexuality: Research implications for public policy (pp. 149-160).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Haldeman, D.C. (1994). The practice and ethics of sexual orientation
conversion therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62
(2), 221-227.
Hooker's findings helped lead the way to the APA's removal of homosexuality from the DSM in 1973, by a 58% to 37% margin. Since then, the psychological/psychiatric profession has come a long way in treating GLBT's to accept themselves rather than try to change them.... which brings us to.....
Homosexuals can be “repaired” (made straight)
Homosexuality is not a mental illness, in any way, shape, or form. Yet, there are those among the right-wing gay-hating Christians who insist that homosexuality needs to be fixed, repaired, mended, and/or undone. It's compared to addiction and treated by groups like Homosexuals Anonymous. But the big names in "reparative therapy" are National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) and EXODUS.
Consisting of religionists in labcoats masquerading as scientists, both groups have had their fair share of woes over the years. One of NARTH's leading proponents, Charles Socarides, proclaimed for years that homosexuality was a neurosis resulting from a weak, absentee father and a domineering mother. He also trumpeted forth that homosexuality was preventable -- until his own son came out.
EXODUS was founded in 1976 as an offshoot of Love in Action {the group which now runs "pray away the gay" camps for teens}. Two of the founders, Michael Bussee and Gary Cooper, eventually left the group in 1979, and after divorcing their wives, they got married again -- to each other.
Now, I could go on about John Paulk, the chairman of EXODUS International, who got caught cruising men in a D.C. gay bar, et al, but......
Here's the end-all of it: reparative therapy does not work. Of course, those groups charge between 5K and 15K annually to practice their quackery. And the results are not good.
EXODUS, in particular, boasts a 3% "success" rate at the end of one year. BUT -- what they don't tell you is that at the end of five years, the "success" rate falls to ZERO, with an accompanying 5% (FIVE PERCENT) suicide rate. Gosh, I wonder if they're using the body count to bolster their "success" rates. {/snark}
Three of the other big names in reparative therapy/gay suicide assistance are that monumental quack Paul Cameron, the former Captain Kangaroo chanteusse Judith Reisman, and docuhebag Peter LaBabera. Noted conservative hypocrite Phyllis Schlafly is also a self-professed Christian gay-hater who advocates reparative therapy. The bizarre thing was that she kept doing it even after her own son came out. {eye roll}
Also, the APA shredded "conversion therapy" back in 2006.
Homosexuals molest children
This crap can be traced to that soulless harridan bitch Anita Bryant, with her brain-dead spew about "Adam and Steve" and "gay recruiting." {Incidentally, her second husband left her for another man. Just FYI}
The reality is that the RWNJ Christians like to conflate paraphilia with sexual orientation. They confuse the gender of the victim/perpetrator with the sexual orientation of both and then come up with "Gays molest children."
The work of Dr. Gregory Herek explains this phenomenon in great detail, as well as giving the stats -- less than 1% of male-male molestation of minors is perpetrated by self-identified gay men.
Homosexuals are unfit to be parents
This lie has been used with great consistency to deny GLBT's their parental rights in custody battles, to deny adoption, and in general to denigrate us as "less than human."
It's just crap, too. I highly recommend the work of Charlotte Patterson to start with. She has done extensive, peer-reviewed research on the subject of GLBT parents.
But, if you're just looking for some cites, then here we go:
"The Lesbian Mother," by Bernice Goodman [American Journal of
Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 43 (1983), pp. 283-284]
Kirkpatrick, Martha et al; "Lesbian Mothers and Their Children: A
Comparative Study," 51 American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 545 (1983)
"Homosexual Parents," by Brenda Maddox [Psychology Today, February,
1982, pp.66-69]
Riddle, Dorothy I.; "Relating to Children: Gays as Role Models," 34
Journal of Social Issues, 38-58 (1978)
"The Avowed Lesbian Mother and Her Right to Child Custody," by Marilyn
Riley [San Diego Law Review, Vol. 12 (1975), p. 799]
Susoeff, Steve; "Assessing Children's Best Interests When a Parent is
Gay or Lesbian: Toward a Rational Custody Standard," 32 UCLA Law Review
852, 896 (1985)
Gibbs, Elizabeth D.; "Psychosocial Development of Children Raised by
Lesbian Mothers: A Review of Research," 8 Women & Therapy 65 (1988)
Green, Richard; "The Best Interests of the Child With a Lesbian
Mother," 10 Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry & Law 7
(1982)
Turner, Pauline et al; "Parenting in Gay and Lesbian Families," 1
Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy 55, 57 (1990)
Golombok, Susan; "Children in Lesbian and Single-Parent Households:
Psychosexual and Psychiatric Appraisal," 24 Journal of Child Psychology
& Psychiatry 551 (1983)
Hoeffer, Beverly; "Children's Acquisition of Sex-Role Behavior in
Lesbian-Mother Families," 51 American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 536
(1981)
Green, Richard; "Sexual Identity of 37 Children Raised by Homosexual
or Transsexual Parents," 135 American Journal of Psychiatry 692 (1978)
Green, Richard; "Lesbian Mothers and Their Children: A Comparison with
Solo Parent Heterosexual Mothers and their Children," 15 Archives of
Sexual Behavior 167 (1986)
Gottman, Julie Schwartz; "Children of Gay and Lesbian Parents," 14
Marriage and Family Review 177 (1989)
Rees, Richard; "A Comparison of Children of Lesbian and Single
Heterosexual Mothers on Three Measures of Socialization," 40
Dissertation Abstracts International 3418-B, 3419-B (1979)
Sterkel, Alisa; "Psychosocial Develpment of Children of Lesbian
Mothers," Gay & Lesbian Parents 75, 81 (Frederick W. Bozett, ed., 1987)
Mucklow, Bonnie M., & Phelan, Gladys K.; "Lesbian and Traditional
Mothers' Responses to Adult Response to Child Behavior and
Self-Concept," 44 Psychological Report 880 (1979)
Whittlin, William A.; "Homosexuality and Child Custody: A Psychiatric
Viewpoint," 21 Concilation Courts Review 77 (1983)
Herek, Gregory M.; "Myths About Sexual Orientation: A Lawyer's Guide
to Social Science Research," 1 Law & Sexuality: A Review of Lesbian &
Gay Legal Issues 133 (1991)
Cramer, David; "Gay Parents and Their Children: A Review of the
Research and Practical Implications," 64 Journal of Counseling &
Development 504 (1986)
Wismont, Judith M., & Reame, Nancy E.; "The Lesbian Childbearing
Experience: Assessing Developmental Tasks, 21 Journal of Nursing
Scholarship 137 (1989)
Meyer, Cheryl L.; "Legal, Psychological, and Medical Considerations in
Lesbian Parenting," 2 Law & Sexuality: A Review of Lesbian & Gay Legal
Issues 237 (1992)
"In the 'Best Interests of the Child' and the Lesbian Mother: A
Proposal for Legislative Change in New York," 48 Albany Law Review 1021
(1984)
Harris & Turner, "Gay & Lesbian Parents," 12 Journal of Homosexuality
101 (1985-1986)
Kleber, Howell & Tibbits-Kleber, "The Impact of Parental Homosexuality
in Child Custody Cases: A Review of the Literature," 14 Bulletin of the
American Academy of Psychiatry & Law 81 (1986)
"The Avowed Lesbian Mother and Her Right to Child Custody: A
Constitutional Challenge That Can No Longer Be Denied," 12 San Diego
Law Review 799 (1975)
"Sexual Orientation and the Law" by the Editors of the Harvard Law
Review (Harvard University Press, 1989)
Green, G. Dorsey, & Bozett, Frederick W., "Lesbian Mothers and Gay
Fathers," in Homosexuality: Research Implications for Public Policy,
ed. by Gonsiorek & Weinrich (Sage Publications, 1991)
Lewin, E., "Lesbianism and Motherhood: Implications for Child
Custody," 40 Human Organization 6-14 (1981)
Ricketts, Wendell; "Lesbians and Gay Men as Foster Parents"
(University of Southern Maine, 1992)
You can find many additional citations in this bibliography: "Lesbian
Mothers and Their Children: Annotated Bibliography of Legal and
Psychological Materials," by Donna J. Hitchens and Ann G. Thomas,
editors [San Francisco Lesbian Rights Project]
These studies, reports, and articles all reach the same conclusion:
Children raised by lesbians and gay men do not differ from children
raised by heterosexuals "on measures of popularity, social adjustment,
gender role behavior, gender identity, intelligence, self-concept,
emotional problems, interest in marriage and parenting, locus of
control, moral development, independence, ego functions, object
relations, or self esteem." Additionally, no significant differences
have been observed in regard to "teachers' and parents' evaluations of
emotional and social behavior, fears, sleep disturbances,
hyperactivity, and conduct differences." (Meyer, "Legal, Psychological,
and Medical Considerations in Lesbian Parenting," 2 Law & Sexuality:
Rev. Lesbian & Gay Legal Issues 239-240 [1992])
Citations showing that children of gay parents are no more likely to
grow up gay:
Golombok, Spencer, & Rutter, Children in Lesbian and Single-Parent
Households: Psychosexual and Psychiatric Appraisal, 24, J. Child
Psychology and Psychiatry 551, 568 (1983)
Green, The Best Interests of a Child with a Lesbian Mother, 10 Bull.
Am. Acad. Psychiatry and Law, 7, 13, (1982)
Green, Mandel, Hotveldt, Gray, & Smith, Lesbian Mothers and Their
Children: A Comparison with Solo Parent Heterosexual Mothers and Their
Children, 15 Archives Sexual Behav., 167, 181 (1986)
Kirkpatrick, Smith, and Roy, Lesbian Mothers and their Children: A
Comparative Survey, 51 Am. J. Orthopsychiatry 545, 551 (1981)
Bozett, Children of Gay Fathers, in Gay and Lesbian Parents, F. Bozett
ed. (1987)
And if you made it to the end of this diary, you get a cookie!
Mon May 07, 2012 at 9:35 PM PT: Thanks to everyone who read and/or replied. It was my pleasure to assemble the info!