Quote of the Day

[Content Note: Homophobia.]

"If you redefine marriage to include same-sex couples, you must—you must permit adoption by same-sex couples, and there's–there's considerable disagreement among—among sociologists as to what the consequences of raising a child in a—in a single-sex family, whether that is harmful to the child or not. Some States do not—do not permit adoption by same-sex couples for that reason."—Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, giving a bullshit assist to the defense during oral arguments in the Prop 8 case before the Court yesterday.

There is, in fact, not "considerable disagreement among sociologists" about same-sex parenting. Further, a 2006 report issued by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute found that "virtually every valid study [on same-sex parenting] reaches the same conclusion: The children of gays and lesbians adjust positively and their families function well." And in 2010, a study spanning more than two decades found "that children raised in lesbian households were psychologically well-adjusted and had fewer behavioral problems than their peers."

These same results have been found in multiple countries and across a spectrum of cultures.

And on the issue of harm to children: Same-sex parents are more likely to adopt older children, children of color, and/or children with special needs than different-sex parents or single straight adopters. Unlike the many studies regarding children adopted and raised by same-sex parents, there is not an abundance of research showing great outcomes for most children who spend most or all of their lives in foster care.

If one really cares about children's well-being, that should matter.

[Related Reading: I Write Letters.]