"Are children raised by gay parents worse off than other children? As same sex couples line up for marriage licenses in Massachusetts, the question achieves greater urgency.
Two researchers answered when they reviewed the available scholarly literature in the American Sociological Review three years ago. What makes their essay intriguing is that both professors Judith Stacey and Timothy J. Biblarz are emphatically in favor of gay marriage and child-rearing. Being honest scholars, though, they could not accept the tendentious spin that others in their field have put on the available research. They deny that the studies show "no difference" between children raised in gay and lesbian homes and those raised in heterosexual homes...
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 American College of Pediatricians has recently come out with a paper discouraging the rearing of children in homosexual households.
The report, "Homosexual Parenting: Is It Time For Change?" cites studies showing that children who are reared in traditional two-parent homes are "more likely to thrive emotionally, mentally, and physically in a home with two heterosexual parents versus a home with a single parent."
The report notes that "...current studies that appear to indicate neutral to favorable results from homosexual parenting have critical flaws such as non-longitudinal design, lack of proper controls, and failure to account for confounding variables."
However, some studies do show that "Children reared in homosexual households are more likely to experience sexual confusion, practice homosexual behavior, and engage in sexual experimentation. Adolescents and young adults who adopt the homosexual lifestyle, like their adult counterparts, are at increased risk of mental health problems, including major depression, anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, substance dependence, and especially suicidal ideation and suicide attempts."
The report is available here: "Homosexual Parenting: Is It Time For Change?"
See also in this thread: An excerpt from "Are children of gay parents worse off?"