Free Republic

‘Gold standard’ study’s striking findings: children of heterosexual parents happier, healthier The most scientifically credible studies show that children of heterosexual parents fare better on numerous indicators of personal well-being than children of homosexual parents. Authored by Mark Regnerus, a sociology professor at the University of Texas at Austin, the study was published in the July 2012 issue of Social Science Research. Children of lesbian mothers are nearly 12 times (≅ 1200%) as likely to say they were sexually touched by a parent or adult as those raised in intact biological families. Asked if they had ever been raped, 31...

Children Raised in the Intact Biological Family Fare Better by the Vast Majority of Objective Measures Notre Dame University has denied official recognition of a student group promoting policymaking that places primary emphasis on advocacy explicitly for the interests of children in considerations about so-called “Gay Marriage”. The quest for recognition by Students for Child-Oriented Policy (SCOP), was rejected in an April 30 letter from the university’s Student Activities Office. In evaluating a proposal, approval is based on several things.…There was not a need for another similar-type club. The Club Coordination Council SCOP’s Notre Dame Marriage Petition cites Pope Francis...

Opponents of same-sex marriage have long argued that allowing such unions will lead to marriages among more than two people and between adults who are related. They're right.

The Next Wedding I PerformOne of the neat things that we pastors get to do is to perform weddings. What a thrill it is to see a young couple declare their love before the world and to be part of their special day! And so it’s with great excitement and emotion that I will be performing a wedding this weekend. I have been asked to do the honors for a young couple I know up in Iowa, friends of the family. Steven and his partner Adam have been in a loving, committed relationship for over three months now, and since...

With Easter approaching and the Astroturf groundswell for same-sex marriage at its apex, I thought I'd put in a plug for the Bible, whose integrity and timeless principles are under increasing assault in our culture. In fact, what sparked this column was a warning by a nationally prominent Republican to his party that it ought not go "Old Testament" and oppose same-sex marriage. I don't want to turn this column into a rant about same-sex marriage, but I cite this example to illustrate a common tendency to bifurcate the Old Testament and the New Testament and to paint Jesus...

Kinda funny how when President Bush was pressing for a federal constitutional amendment banning one-sex marriage how many (actually the lionshare) Democrats said that the issue should be left to the states. When Dems supposedly supported traditional marriage they wanted the states to decide. Now that they support one-sex marriage, do they still believe that the states should decide or do they want the courts to force one-sex marriage onto all the states? How could any Democrat be for an approach that says no to a federal ban - let the states decide - and then flip to a federal...

Loosen his bow tie and snuggle up, you two,” says Las Vegas photographer Linda Quackenboss, directing a camera-shy couple sitting for portraits in her studio. Reaching out, Phil Pineda does as he’s told and loosens Mel Cole’s bow tie. “There’s my GQ smile!” the petite 53-year-old tells the couple, who will be celebrating their fifth anniversary this fall. “Maybe I can shoot your wedding soon.” For Quackenboss, who estimates that 30 percent of her clientele are members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, the suggestion is more than friendly conversation. It’s marketing.

A UN committee of legal experts reprimanded the Russian Federation last month for allowing the Ryazan province of Russia to enforce a law that bans the promotion of homosexuality among minors as part of a national effort to protect children from early sexualization, and related adverse health consequences. In 2009 Irina Fedotova, a lesbian activist, lodged a complaint against Russia with the UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors the implementation of the 1966 International Convention of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). She was detained and fined for standing outside a secondary school with posters that read “Homosexuality is normal” and...