Same-sex parented children do as well as their peers: study

Kids raised in same-sex-parented families do as well as their peers, a review published in the Medical Journal of Australia has found. But same-sex-parented children face a threat, which is discrimination.

The study by Melbourne Children’s found that kids raised in same-sex-parented families did as well emotionally, educationally and socially as kids raised by heterosexual parents. One argument used by the No campaign is that children need both a mother and a father to flourish.

Authors of “The Kids are OK: It is Discrimination Not Same-Sex Parents that Harms Children” said that their work aimed to end the misinformation about children of same-sex couples. They said the results had been replicated across independent studies here and abroad.

The researchers said the findings reflect a more comprehensive consensus within the fields of family studies and psychology. “It is family processes – parenting quality, parental wellbeing, the quality of and satisfaction with relationships within the family, rather than family structures, that make a more meaningful difference to children’s wellbeing and positive development,” they added.

But the study also found that young people who expressed diversity in their sexual orientation or gender identity faced some of the highest rates of psychological distress. This was confirmed by the study’s senior author, Prof Frank Oberklaid.

“Sadly, this is largely attributed to the harassment, stigma and discrimination they and other LGBTIQ+ individuals and communities face in our society,” Oberklaid said, according to The Guardian. He warned that the rhetoric of the current marriage equality debate is damaging children and adolescents, who Oberklaid described as the most vulnerable members of the community.

He added that there was proof that legalising same-sex marriage had a positive impact on wellbeing and mental health of same-sex-parented families as well as LGBTIQ+ young people in some countries. In the United States, a recent research found that legalising same-sex marriage has a positive effect on the mental health of LGBTI young people, The Age notes.

As a member of the medical community, Oberklaid said they feel a “duty of care” to all groups in the society, especially to those who are vulnerable. He called for an end to negative messages that could harm kids in the final weeks of the postal survey voting period.

The report comes as the voting period enters its final days. The Australian Bureau of Statistics should have received votes by November 7. The result will be declared on November 15.