New Study: Gay Parents = Great Kids

Let’s see, so far, California’s Proposition 8 banning gay marriage has been found to be unconstitutional, unnecessary (or did we miss the collapse of traditional marriage in Massachusetts, Connecticut or the four other jurisdictions in which same-sex marriage is legal?) and just plain bad for the wedding reception industry. Now comes word, courtesy of the journal Family Process, that it’s also bad for kids.A new study by family therapist Arlene Istar Lev shows that children of gay and lesbian individuals and couples are actually better adjusted and have fewer social problems than peers raised by heterosexuals. Before Prop 8–lovers charge reverse bias, there’s a simple explanation for the phenomenon: gay and lesbian parents feel pressure to try harder, lest any shortcomings in their kids be taken as a sign of their inadequacy as parents.

Paradoxically, it may even be harder for the kids of non-straight parents to come out as gay or lesbian themselves. Why? “There is an assumption that the optimal outcome is to produce heterosexual children,” Lev says. “Gay parents may struggle with having gay or transgender children…because of the societal pressure they feel to raise ‘normal’ children.” One more reason for the culture warriors to tend their own gardens and let other parents — gay or straight — tend theirs.

Read more: Time, Healthland

Rosie O'Donnell, Comedian, actress and activist

b. March 21, 1962

"I don't think America knows what a gay parent looks like: I am a gay parent."

An award-winning comedian, television host, author and media mogul, Rosie O’Donnell used her celebrity as a platform for activism and philanthropic causes.

Born in Queens, New York, O’Donnell got her big break when she auditioned for “Star Search” and won five times. With her $14,000 winnings, she relocated to Los Angeles and landed a role on the sitcom “Gimme a Break.”

After film roles in “A League of Their Own,” “Sleepless in Seattle” and “The Flintstones,” she was offered her own daytime television talk show. During her six years as host of “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” she started Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation, which awarded more than $27 million in grants to 1,400 child-related nonprofit organizations.

In 2002, O’Donnell outed herself and became an outspoken advocate for gay parenting. She worked with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in an attempt to overturn Florida’s ban on gay and lesbian adoption.

O’Donnell and Kelli Carpenter married in 2004. They are parents of four children. The couple launched R Family Vacations, the first-ever cruise for gay families.

O’Donnell became the moderator of ABC’s all-women daytime talk show, “The View.” She starred on Broadway in “Grease,” “Seussical” and “Fiddler on the Roof,” and founded Rosie’s Broadway Kids, which provides a free theater experience.

Among O’Donnell’s many honors, she has received 13 Emmy Awards, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Vito Russo Award, an induction into the Kid’s Choice Awards Hall of Fame and a Women in Film Lucy Award.

Bibliography
Lee, Felicia R. “On HBO, Rosie O’Donnell’s Cruise for Gay Families.” The New York Times. April 3, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/03/arts/television/03rosi.html
Leff, Lisa. “Rosie O’Donnell Weds Longtime Girlfriend.” The Washington Post. February 26, 2004
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10636-2004Feb26.html
Kuczynski, Alex. “She’s Out of the Closet. Now What?” The New York Times. March 3, 2002
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2D61031F930A35750C0A9649C8B63
Nordlinger, Jay. “Rosie O’Donnell, Political Activist – A Celebrity and her Platform.” National Review. June 19, 2000
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MTkxYzkwYjNiNzk1ZGNhZWZlOGQ2ODkxOWU4ZTM0OTI=
Parker, Ray. “Fighting to keep a family.” The Advocate. April 30, 2002
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2002_April_30/ai_85281818/print?tag=artBody;col1
“Rosie Comes Out as ACLU Launches LetHimStay.com.” GLAAD. March 13, 2002
http://www.glaad.org/publications/archive_detail.php?id=348
                       
“Rosie O’Donnell.” People. July 2, 2008
http://www.people.com/people/rosie_odonnell
“Rosie O’Donnell Marries Girlfriend in San Francisco.” CNN. February 27, 2004
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/26/odonnell.ap/index.html
Other Resources
All Aboard! Rosie’s Family Cruise
http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/allaboard/synopsis.html
R Family Vacations
http://www.rfamilyvacations.com/
Rosie Chat
http://www.rosiechat.com
Rosie’s Broadway Kids
http://www.rosiesbroadwaykids.org/
Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation
http://www.forallkids.org/
Websites
Official Rosie O’Donnell Website
http://www.rosie.com