Texas. Again.

[TERROJA]

Besides being the home state of the World's Biggest Asshole, it has a legislature that does stuff like this:

The state House tentatively approved legislation that would prohibit homosexuals and bisexuals from becoming foster parents.

Legislators voted 81-58 Tuesday to approve the ban in an amendment tacked on to a bill that would revamp the state's Child Protective Services agency. The full bill was tentatively approved 126-16. Final approval was expected Wednesday.

"It is our responsibility to make sure that we protect our most vulnerable children and I don't think we are doing that if we allow a foster parent that is homosexual or bisexual," said Rep. Robert Talton, a Republican, who introduced the amendment.

* * *

Way to go, Texas. Those kids are much better off in the system.

[TERROJA]

Don't get sick in Texas:

http://www.advocacyone.org/actup.html

[TERROJA]

WORST AIR POLLUTION

http://www.climateark.org/articles/2000/4th/grlabte1.htm

[Calculations]

It would be a bit of a double whammy. Not only are you adopted, but you were adopted by a couple of twinks or clam-slammers.

Anyways, I doubt any of the news stories here could happen in real life. Nothing bad happens in real life.

I'm going to go be peaceful and happy in the furthest recesses of my mind.

And my signature kills.

[check your pms]

[TERROJA]

Texas ranked last in the United States in the percentage of residents with health insurance from 1995-98.

Texas ranked last in the nation in childhood immunizations in 2000.

In 2003, Texas ranked last among the states in the percentage of high school graduates at least 25 years old in the population.

Texas ranked worst among the fifty states in carbon dioxide emissions (air pollution).

According to the Washington-based Urban Institute, Texas ranked worst among the fifty states in inequality among children.'

[j_absinthe]

Originally posted by TERROJA
Don't get sick in Texas:

http://www.advocacyone.org/actup.html 15,000 of those people are King and his tricks.

[j_absinthe]

Originally posted by Calculations
It would be a bit of a double whammy. Not only are you adopted, but you were adopted by a couple of twinks or clam-slammers.

Anyways, I doubt any of the news stories here could happen in real life. Nothing bad happens in real life.

I'm going to go be peaceful and happy in the furthest recesses of my mind.

And my signature kills.

[check your pms] It indeed does kill, but alas, your avatar sucks ass.

*Tourniquet and Nobodies signatures spit at Silent Hill sig. *

[Calculations]

Originally posted by m_absinthe
It indeed does kill, but alas, your avatar sucks ass.

*Tourniquet and Nobodies signatures spit at Silent Hill sig. *

Make me a better one, if you're so great.

[pyrox02]

Fuck it. I like Texas.

[EatYourGod]

Roxy! How I've missed you!

[TERROJA]

Originally posted by pyrox02
Fuck it. I like Texas.

As do all morons.

King lives in Texas. Case closed.

[pyrox02]

Originally posted by TERROJA
As do all morons.

King lives in Texas. Case closed.

I live in Texas.

I just like it because none of those issues really affect me and I'm too self-absorbed to care about anyone else.

We po' and on medicaid. We go to the doctor only when necessary.

I'm no twink, so that doesn't apply to me either.

[j_absinthe]

Originally posted by pyrox02
I live in Texas.

I just like it because none of those issues really affect me and I'm too self-absorbed to care about anyone else.

We po' and on medicaid. We go to the doctor only when necessary.

I'm no twink, so that doesn't apply to me either. It would be funny if you caught HIV now.

Still love ya, Roxy!

[pyrox02]

Originally posted by m_absinthe
Still love ya, Roxy!

I love me too.

[j_absinthe]

Originally posted by pyrox02
I love me too. I don't think you do.

[pyrox02]

Originally posted by m_absinthe
I don't think you do.

I don't think you don't think I do.

I love you.

[j_absinthe]

Originally posted by pyrox02
I don't think you don't think I do.

I love you. How can you love me if you don't even love yourself?

[pyrox02]

How can I love myself when you won't let me love you?

[j_absinthe]

Originally posted by pyrox02
How can I love myself when you won't let me love you? IIIIIIIIIIIIIII looooooooooooooove to love ya, baaabaaaaaaayy!

[pyrox02]

Originally posted by m_absinthe
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII looooooooooooooove to love ya, baaabaaaaaaayy!

I waaaant you to want me.

I neeeeeeeeeeeeed you to need me.

:[

[TheBurk]

Originally posted by TERROJA
Besides being the home state of the World's Biggest Asshole, it has a legislature that does stuff like this:

The state House tentatively approved legislation that would prohibit homosexuals and bisexuals from becoming foster parents.

Legislators voted 81-58 Tuesday to approve the ban in an amendment tacked on to a bill that would revamp the state's Child Protective Services agency. The full bill was tentatively approved 126-16. Final approval was expected Wednesday.

"It is our responsibility to make sure that we protect our most vulnerable children and I don't think we are doing that if we allow a foster parent that is homosexual or bisexual," said Rep. Robert Talton, a Republican, who introduced the amendment.

* * *

Way to go, Texas. Those kids are much better off in the system.

i believe there is a law on the books in burleson (kelly clarkson's home town) that you cant own more then 6 dildos (and dildo is the acctual word on the law)

[rkzenrage]

Originally posted by Calculations
It would be a bit of a double whammy. Not only are you adopted, but you were adopted by a couple of twinks or clam-slammers.

Anyways, I doubt any of the news stories here could happen in real life. Nothing bad happens in real life.

I'm going to go be peaceful and happy in the furthest recesses of my mind.

And my signature kills.

[check your pms]
Actually, children raised by homosexual partners have a lower percentage of turning out gay, a higher average GPA and are, over-all, per-capita, more out-going and well adjusted than those raised by straight parents.
Speak of what you know, or you sound like an idiot.

[Mr.Insanity]

Originally posted by TERROJA
Besides being the home state of the World's Biggest Asshole

As gay as TheKing is, I wouldn't doubt he has the world's biggest asshole.

[The King]

Out of all the "points" you've brought up Terroja, I bet everyone in Texas doesn't give a fuck.

[maugan_ra_3rd]

Conservatives are bad enough, but red-neck conservatives.

Oi...

[Mercury SS]

Oh My Megazord!

...








+1 :D

[j_absinthe]

Originally posted by The King
Out of all the "points" you've brought up Terroja, I bet everyone in Texas doesn't give a fuck. That's why it's in the state it is now. Apathy kills.

[ozebane]

Originally posted by rkzenrage
Actually, children raised by homosexual partners have a lower percentage of turning out gay, a higher average GPA and are, over-all, per-capita, more out-going and well adjusted than those raised by straight parents.
Speak of what you know, or you sound like an idiot.

Or maybe you just took it too seriously.

[Gara Ganymede]

Texan accents people speak with are awful.
I laugh when I hear texan people.

[EmpressReznor]

you know what everyone picks on texas. all the states have there fucking problems. i could write a huge list of problems we have in california. im not saying texas's problems aren't something to not be complaining or concerned about but seriously i get tried of fucking hearing it. shut the fuck up people specially if you don't even live there. also i know plenty of people from texas that aren't happy with how things are.

[TERROJA]

Originally posted by The King
Out of all the "points" you've brought up Terroja, I bet everyone in Texas doesn't give a fuck.

I bet you're right.

And the fact you think that's something to be proud of further proves my original thesis.

[The King]

Originally posted by TERROJA
I bet you're right.

Of course I am!

[Mercury SS]

Originally posted by The King
Of course I am!

Since when are Mexicans right?

What the hell is this world coming to?

http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/images2/dawnodead.jpg

[The King]

Originally posted by Mercury SS
Since when are Mexicans right?

What the hell is this world coming to?

http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/images2/dawnodead.jpg

[insert witty reply about Mexicans and their worthlessness]

[controlledchaos]

Originally posted by rkzenrage
Actually, children raised by homosexual partners have a lower percentage of turning out gay, a higher average GPA and are, over-all, per-capita, more out-going and well adjusted than those raised by straight parents.
Speak of what you know, or you sound like an idiot.

So, what is your source for all of these 'facts'? While I'm not disputing any of what you have said I do think it is mighty bold of you to try to make someone else look like an idiot when you yourself didn't offer any sources to back up your information.

[roelq]

Originally posted by The King
Out of all the "points" you've brought up Terroja, I bet everyone in Texas doesn't give a fuck.
sez a ghey man

*shakes head.

[rkzenrage]

Originally posted by controlledchaos
So, what is your source for all of these 'facts'? While I'm not disputing any of what you have said I do think it is mighty bold of you to try to make someone else look like an idiot when you yourself didn't offer any sources to back up your information.
I have them on a back-up disc... I'll look-up the links soon.

[TERROJA]

Originally posted by rkzenrage
I have them on a back-up disc... I'll look-up the links soon.

Uh-huuuuh.

Smells like bullshit to me.

[DarkSoul]

It's all Mexico's fault.

[mr feeny]

dont EVER talk shit about texas, motherfuckers

[LolaS]

Been there three times - THREE chances to impress me - and fuck, it not only fails but it makes me hate it more each time I drive through it. (disclaimer: I never will again unless there's some big catastrophe on Earth and Texas is the only place left standing. I doubt it but hypothetically I'd selfishly turn to the bastards for help).

[TERROJA]

Originally posted by mr feeny
dont EVER talk shit about texas, motherfuckers

I don't have to "talk shit". Any horrible thing I say about Texas is true. And what the fuck are you gonna do about it, bitch?

[TheBurk]

Originally posted by LolaS
Been there three times - THREE chances to impress me - and fuck, it not only fails but it makes me hate it more each time I drive through it. (disclaimer: I never will again unless there's some big catastrophe on Earth and Texas is the only place left standing. I doubt it but hypothetically I'd selfishly turn to the bastards for help).

you need to go to fort worth. or san antonio, san antonio is good.

[rkzenrage]

Originally posted by TERROJA
Uh-huuuuh.

Smells like bullshit to me.
That is fine, I used to debate this a lot when the whole "Gay Marriage Thing" hit the fan... was a while ago and I no longer have those PCs. The favorites and .docs from those PCs are on back-ups from those PCs.

Gay-and Lesbian-Headed/Unmarried Partner Households
Between six million and 10 million children of lesbian, gay and bisexual parents currently live in the United States. 11


The number of unmarried partner households has increased by 72 percent in the last decade from three million in 1990 to more than five million in 2000. These figures include both same-sex and different-sex couples. 1


One-third of lesbian households and one-fifth of gay male households have children. 1


The Census Bureau reports that New York has 46,490 same-sex households, Ohio has 18,937 same-sex households and Missouri has 9,428 same-sex households. 13


During the past decade, the number of same-sex households “grew significantly” in 10 states for which figures have been released: more than 700 percent in Delaware and Nevada; more than 400 percent in Vermont, Indiana, Louisiana and Nebraska; and more than 200 percent in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts and Montana. 14

http://www.lethimstay.com/bigpicture_numbers.html

http://www.youdebate.com/DEBATES/gay_adoption.HTM

http://www.cga.ct.gov/olr/2002Backgrounders/Gay_Parenting_0879.htm
lesbian and gay parenting
The great majority of studies published in the past 20 years conclude that there are no notable developmental differences between children raised by heterosexual parents and those raised by lesbian and gay parents. Along the same lines, several medical and mental health professional associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association, and the American Psychological Association have issued formal statements generally supporting equal access to parenting and adoption for gay men and lesbians.


http://www.psych.org/news_room/press_releases/adoption_coparenting121802.pdf

There are lots of preconceived notions and misinformation about gay parenting. Separate fact from fiction with the findings below.



Gay parents raise gay kids.


In the few studies conducted on the sexuality of gay parents and their children, there has been no evidence to suggest that the sexual orientation of adoptive or birth parents affects the sexuality of their children.


Children of gay parents have more problems.


According to a report by the American Psychological Association, not a single study (out of nearly 50) has found children of gay or lesbian parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect compared to children of heterosexual parents. All evidence to date suggests that gay and lesbian homes are as likely as heterosexual homes to support and enable children's psychosocial growth.


Gay men are more likely to sexually abuse children.


Every study on sexual abuse, by diverse organizations that range from the Connecticut Correctional Institute to the Child Welfare League of America, reports that there is no connection between child abusers and sexual orientation.


Most social worker organizations say gay parents shouldn’t adopt.


The Child Welfare League of America, the North American Council on Adoptable Children and the National Association of Social Workers all support evaluating gay and lesbian applicants for adoption using the same criteria as heterosexual applicants.


Gay people don’t want to have families.


An estimated four million gay men and lesbians are raising eight to ten million children in the United States. In a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 49 percent of gay people who were not parents said they would like to have children someday.

[rkzenrage]

http://www.familypride.org/site/pp.asp?c=bhKPI7PFImE&b=392481


Myths And FactsLong-running myths and misconceptions regarding gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered parents must be dispelled before all families are protected and respected equally. Following are some of the most common myths about parents within the GLBT community, each of which are answered by common sense and documented facts. There is absolutely no evidence that our children are psychologically or physically harmed by having gay, lesbian or bisexual parents. There is plenty of evidence to the contrary. (Rofes, E.E., 1983, Herdt, 1989)

PARENTING STATUS

Myth: Lesbians and gay men do not have children.
Fact: The American Bar Association estimates that at least six to ten million daughters and sons of lesbian, gay and bisexual parents in the United States. (American Bar Association,1987). Until recently, many of these children originated from heterosexual relationships. Open lesbians, are having record-breaking numbers of children. Various options are open to prospective parents, including artificial and donor insemination, domestic and international adoption, foster care and surrogacy.
Homosexuality and bisexuality are sometimes a factor in divorce. A child from a divorced couple may have at least one gay parent. Unfortunately, as a result of break-ups attempts are frequently made by the non-gay parent to receive full custody of the children from the relationship. However, custody and visitation denials by judges are less and less often made with a sole basis on the sexual orientation of the parent. In well over half of the United States and the District of Columbia, courts have upheld that sexual orientation alone cannot form the basis of denying a parent's rights.


RELATIONSHIPS

Myth: Gay men and lesbians have unstable relationships.
Fact: Gay men and lesbians are just as interested in finding committed, loving relationships as heterosexual individuals. A large number of gay men and lesbians can and do enjoy long stable and satisfying relation-ships. In fact, if the unions of same-sex couples were officially recognized by their states, their relationships would be even further protected through legal marriage.


CHILDREN

Myth: Gay men and lesbians prey on children to recruit them to their "lifestyle."
Fact: More than thirty studies, comparing the children of lesbian and gay parents to those of heterosexual parents, showed no significant differences in terms of gender identity or sexual orientation. Published studies have established that children raised by gay or lesbian parents are no more likely to grow up gay or lesbian than other children. (Patterson, Charlotte J. 1992) For more than two decades, both the American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association have removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental Disorders.

Children of gay and lesbian parents lead just as healthy and productive lives as children of heterosexual individuals and couples. Research has also identified that gay and lesbian parents possess equal parenting skills, and that they provide good, loving homes for children. Because of discrimination, gay and lesbian parents may even be more open with their family members, promoting further psychological health and family functioning.


Myth: Children who are in contact with gay men or lesbians face increased risk of being sexually abused.
Fact: Statistics indicate that 90% of all children sexual abuse cases involve a heterosexual male perpetrator. Sexual orientation, whether heterosexual or homosexual, is an adult sexual attraction to other adults. Pedophilia, on the other hand, is an adult sexual attraction to children. Pedophilia and sexual orientation are not the same thing.


MORALITY

Myth: Children raised by gay men and lesbians will be exposed to an "immoral" environment.
Fact: Morality is concerned with principles of "right" and "wrong" behavior.

The issue of morality is an important conversation. As a nation we must live in accordance with the law of the land (like don't steal, don't kill") or work towards changing that law (such as outlawing slavery, making it legal for women to vote, and outlawing child labor). However, morality is a more subjective issue. Often, families develop a moral structure based on their religious associations or social convictions. Because morality is based on beliefs and values, they differ with different communities, environments, histories and experiences. It is a philosophical question. Just as in unreasonable to say that a Jewish family is morally superior to a Catholic family, it is unreason-able to say a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender parent is of lesser moral fiber than a heterosexual parent. Sexual orientation should not, and in most cases, do not disqualify people from being considered as an adoptive or foster parent. If all people were eliminated based on an issue that someone else believed was immoral, there would be almost no a parents left. What we can all agree on is that children without loving homes deserve the opportunity to be placed with qualified parents.


FAMILY STRUCTURE

Myth: The only acceptable home for a child contains a mother and father who are married to each other.
Fact: Our children are raised in families large and small. There are one-parent, two-parent, and grandparent-headed families. There are stepfamilies, blended families, foster families, families of birth and families of intention. There are families with one child, families with ten children, families with no relatives and families bursting with extended family activity. Families are interracial, multiracial, intergenerational, gay and straight. The reality of today is that the traditional definition of the married, heterosexual couple with 1.5 children is only one of the many, many families that our children grow and thrive in. To say that it is the only acceptable home for our children insults all children's homes that do not look like this. We believe that the "acceptable" home for a child is one in which love, commitment, and support are freely given among its members. There is no evidence that our children face any more difficulties socializing in school than children of straight parents. (Golombok et al. 1983, Green, R., 1978, 1986.)


Myth: Families with gay or lesbian parents are not "real" families.
Fact: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered parents cook dinners, change diapers, and take time off to care for children, help with homework, negotiate TV time, drive children to soccer practice, worry about childcare, clean house, and read bedtime stories. As LGBT parents, we must work harder at protecting our families by creating legal relationships to assure our children will have equal rights and protections as the children of heterosexual parents (married or not). We assert that love, responsibility, commitment, and support that adults give to children and each other define a family.


PARENTING ABILITY

Myth: Gay men cannot be nurturing parents.
Fact: Based on a 1989 study, researchers found that gay fathers tended to be more responsive to their children's perceived needs than non-gay fathers. The study also concluded that gay fathers were more likely to engage their children in discussions regarding their children's fears. These scientific findings debunk the myth that gay men cannot be nurturing parents.


SEX

Myth: Discussing a gay or lesbian family member means you must talk about sex.
Fact: As responsible parents, we are charged with speaking about sexuality to our children in accurate, appropriate and age sensitive ways. We want our children to have correct information and an understanding about how to interpret information that is congruent with our beliefs. However, to think that in order to discuss a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered family member means one must automatically speak about sex, is wrong. When speaking of an LGBT relative, a responsible and caring parent can and should discuss such important issues as love, understanding, acceptance, diversity, and discrimination. To speak with young children about LGBT family members is to speak about what they understand most, family. For a child not to be able to talk about his or her family is not only discrimination, it is wrong.


Myth: It's safer for children of lesbians and gay men not to talk about their families.
Fact: Not talking about something gives the message that there is something wrong with it. It is important for the well-being of all our children to include information about all our families in educational programs and curriculums. It is also vital for our children's schools to provide an emotional safe atmosphere for children of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered parents by reassuring them that their school and families think that their families are "OK."


ROLE MODELS

Myth: Children raised by a gay or lesbian couple will not have proper male and female role models.
Fact: Children find role models in every environment with which they are involved. Most LGBT parents make sure that their children have consistent, positive contact with teachers, grandparents, mentors, ministers, coaches, aunts and uncles, friends, and neighbors. Positive role models come in many forms. Research suggests that our children are exposed to more people of the opposite sex than many kids of straight parents and even when our kids are not, there is no evidence to suggest that they are harmed. (Kirkpatrick, 1987)

[rkzenrage]

http://www.familypride.org/site/pp.asp?c=bhKPI7PFImE&b=289159

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/daddyandpapa/parenting.html

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/daddyandpapa/updates.html

May 28, 2005: According to the AP, representatives of the nation's top psychiatric group approved a statement urging legal recognition of gay marriage. If approved by the association's directors in July, the measure would make the American Psychiatric Association the first major medical group to take such a stance. (If they do, they'll be playing catch-up to the American Psychological Association, which issued a statement of support for same sex civil marriage in July 2004).

APA SUPPORTS LEGALIZATION OF SAME-SEX CIVIL MARRIAGES AND OPPOSES DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LESBIAN AND GAY PARENTS
Denying Same-Sex Couples Legal Access to Civil Marriage is Discriminatory and Can Adversely Affect the Psychological, Physical, Social and Economic Well-Being of Gay and Lesbian Individuals


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HONOLULU – Prohibiting civil marriage for same-sex couples is discriminatory and unfairly denies such couples, their children and other members of their families the legal, financial and social advantages of civil marriage says the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Council of Representatives in a resolution adopted today. The APA also opposed discrimination against lesbian or gay parents adoption, child custody and visitation, foster care and reproductive health services.

Both policy positions were adopted at the recommendation of an APA Working Group on Same-Sex Families and Relationships. The Working Group, appointed by the APA Council of Representatives in February 2004, was charged with developing policy recommendations for APA that would guide psychologists in the current public debate over civil marriage for same-sex couples. The Working Group was directed further to base its policy recommendations on the research on same-sex relationships and families.

This seven-member team of psychologists with a combination of both scientific expertise in family and couple relations and professional expertise with lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations summarized the research that discrimination and prejudice based on sexual orientation detrimentally affects the psychological, physical, social and economic well-being of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals, that same-sex couples are remarkably similar to heterosexual couples, and that parenting effectiveness and the adjustment, development and psychological well-being of children is unrelated to parental sexual orientation.

"The APA recognizes the importance of the institution of civil marriage which confers a social status with important legal benefits, rights and privileges," said psychologist Armand R. Cerbone, who is a private practitioner in Chicago and chair of the working group. "Discrimination of all kinds takes a toll on people's health and psychological well being. In the context of the huge social and political debate that is currently going on, APA and psychologists had to grapple with the issue of what psychology believes is in the public interest in this controversy.”

Given what research tells us about the impact of discrimination and given that the research further provides no justification for discriminating against same-sex couples in marriage or in parenting, the Working Group strongly recommended that APA support states in providing civil marriage to same-sex couples and fully recognizing the parental rights of lesbians and gay men. As a benefit for human welfare, it is important to point out that permitting same-sex couples to marriage may especially benefit people who also experience discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, disability, gender and gender identity, religion and socioeconomic status, said Cerbone.

According to the United States Accounting Office (2004), over 1,000 federal statutory provisions exist in which marital status is a factor in determining a person’s eligibility to receive various benefits, rights and privileges.


APA Working Group on Same-Sex Families and Relationships: Armand Cerbone, Ph.D., Chicago, Illinois; Beverly Greene, Ph.D., St. John’s University; Kristin Hancock, Ph.D., Graduate School of Professional Psychology at John F. Kennedy University; Lawrence A. Kurdek, Ph.D., Wright State University; Candace A. McCullough, Ph.D., Bethesda, Maryland; Letitia Anne Peplau, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Full text of the resolutions is available at http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/policy/marriage.pdf (Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Marriage) and
http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/policy/parentschildren.pdf (Resolution on Sexual Orientation, Parents, and Children).

Reporters: Armand Cerbone, PhD can be by phone at (773) 755-0833 or by Email, and Anne Peplau, PhD be reached by phone at 818-990-2688 or by Email


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world’s largest association of psychologists. APA’s membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

[rkzenrage]

About 60 percent of the nation's adoption agencies now accept applications from gays and lesbians, though resistance remains strong among many church-affiliated agencies, a new survey by a leading adoption institute says. Now, if only the other 40 percent also had the best interests of children at heart, we'd really be rocking! Read here (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,101495,00.html)

[rkzenrage]

In an unprecedented show of mainstream support for gay and lesbian parents, the country's leading medical society of pediatricians today is endorsing the legal rights of homosexuals to adopt a partner's child.

The 65,000-member American Academy of Pediatrics said adoptions by the same- sex partner of a legally recognized parent should be encouraged through "legislative and legal efforts," saying it is better for children in such households to have "two fully sanctioned and legally defined parents."

The new policy statement is being published today in the February issue of the medical group's journal, Pediatrics, along with a technical review of a small but growing body of scientific literature about gay adoptions.

Only a specific type of legal proceeding known as a "co-parent" or "second parent" adoption is covered. These are situations in which the gay or lesbian partner of a biological or adoptive parent seeks full legal status as the child's second parent.

"It doesn't matter what you feel about these families or these relationships," said Dr. Joseph Hagan, a pediatrician in Burlington, Vt., who chaired a committee that prepared the new statement. "This is about children (who) deserve to have the fact they have two parents be legally recognized."

The new policy directive stopped short of endorsing all forms of gay adoptions, such as when two gay men seek to adopt through a private arrangement with a birth mother. Instead, the pediatricians called for "a broad ethical mandate" across the country for two-parent relationships for children already in gay or lesbian families.

"Children deserve to know that their relationships with both of their parents are stable and legally recognized," the academy said. "This applies to all children, whether their parents are of the same or opposite sex."

Gay-rights advocates hailed today's move as a long-overdue sign of acceptance of gays and lesbians in a particularly emotion-charged arena. Some even compared it to the landmark 1973 decision by the American Psychiatric Association, which removed homosexuality from the official list of mental disorders.

"We're incredibly encouraged by this statement," said Kate Kendall, a lesbian mother who serves as executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, based in San Francisco. "We have been making this case for two decades."

Critics said the pediatricians' group relied on flawed data and is meddling in a political issue.


'DISSERVICE TO MEDICINE'
"It's a group of pro-homosexual people . . . who want to further tear down the one-man, one-woman relationship in America," the Rev. Louis Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, told the Associated Press. He called the policy irresponsible and "a disservice to medicine."

But the pediatricians noted that without second-parent adoptions, children can suffer some serious practical consequences in battles over child support, medical coverage and custody, particularly after a breakup or the death of the legally recognized parent.

The pediatricians cited several studies that have found children of gay parents "fare as well in emotional, cognitive, social and sexual functioning as children whose parents are heterosexual."

California already has had an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 adoptions of the type being endorsed by the pediatricians during the past 15 years. Nationwide, an estimated 6 million to 9 million children live in families with at least one gay parent.

More accurate statistics are hard to come by, and nobody knows just how many gay men and lesbians are functioning as parents while being denied legal standing as such. But practicing pediatricians said they are seeing more and more young patients who are being raised in such circumstances.

"We are seeing what some people are calling a lesbian baby boom over the last decade," said Dr. Ellen Perrin, a Boston pediatrician who was lead author of today's policy statement.

"There are more and more children being raised by same-sex parents," she also said. "We take care of those children. So we are learning about the situation those children are in, and what we can do to help them."


CONFLICTING LAWS, ATTITUDES
The ability of gay people to adopt a child varies widely from one jurisdiction to the next, running into a thicket of conflicting state laws and local rules and attitudes.

Although same-sex adoptions are legal in California, they are forbidden in some states, including Florida and Mississippi, and local judges have wide discretion to decide individual cases based on their evaluation of what's best for a particular child.

Although its immediate impact is unclear, today's action could affect court cases around the country, including one high-profile adoption case now before the California Supreme Court.

In that case, a woman sought to adopt a child she and her female partner had raised together since her partner gave birth in June 1999. But the biological mother withdrew her consent to adoption when the couple broke up, and an appellate court panel ruled in her favor.

At the same time, openly gay and lesbian parents have become commonplace in many California communities, and a 300-member support group of such families meets regularly at playgrounds in seven Bay Area cities.


MANY STILL DISAPPROVE
But some gay parents said a stigma persists even in gay-friendly San Francisco.

"There are still many people who don't approve of this," said Mark, a gay man in San Francisco who, along with his partner, Steve, has been attempting to adopt a child for the past two years.

Mark spoke on condition that no last names be used for fear that publicity could "cause trouble" for the adoption effort. "It's still not the norm, but a lot of people are doing this all over the country, and will whether it's accepted or not," he added.

E-mail Carl T. Hall at chall@sfchronicle.com.

Page A - 1
URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/02/04/MN227427.DTL

[LolaS]

SPAM!

[controlledchaos]

Oh wow...you've turned out to be quite the cut-n-paste expert on children raised by homosexual parents. I never questioned whether or not homosexuals could raise children as well as heterosexuals. I was specifically questioning these three statements you made:

First Statement:
Originally posted by rkzenrage
children raised by homosexual partners have a lower percentage of turning out gay
turning out gay?

to which you have provided the following information:

Originally posted by rkzenrage

Gay parents raise gay kids.

In the few studies conducted on the sexuality of gay parents and their children, there has been no evidence to suggest that the sexual orientation of adoptive or birth parents affects the sexuality of their children.

Myth: Gay men and lesbians prey on children to recruit them to their "lifestyle."
Fact: More than thirty studies, comparing the children of lesbian and gay parents to those of heterosexual parents, showed no significant differences in terms of gender identity or sexual orientation. Published studies have established that children raised by gay or lesbian parents are no more likely to grow up gay or lesbian than other children. (Patterson, Charlotte J. 1992) For more than two decades, both the American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association have removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental Disorders.


So, there is no significant difference in gender orientation in children of homosexual parents and heterosexual parents. No where does it say lower percentage.

Second Statement:
Originally posted by rkzenrage
Actually, children raised by homosexual partners have a higher average GPA


I couldn't find any information in what you posted supporting this claim.

Third Statement:
Originally posted by rkzenrage
Actually, children raised by homosexual partners are, over-all, per-capita, more out-going and well adjusted than those raised by straight parents.


to which you posted this supporting information:

Originally posted by rkzenrage

Children of gay parents have more problems.

According to a report by the American Psychological Association, not a single study (out of nearly 50) has found children of gay or lesbian parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect compared to children of heterosexual parents. All evidence to date suggests that gay and lesbian homes are as likely as heterosexual homes to support and enable children's psychosocial growth.


So, homosexual households are as likely (not more likely) as heterosexual households to support their children's psychosocial growth.

oh...and finally this:
Originally posted by rkzenrage
Speak of what you know, or you sound like an idiot.

meh...I'm bored

[rkzenrage]

Perhaps some of the statistics have change to show that children of gay parents are on par instead of surpassing most other kids or I had other information previously.
This was a quick search.
I'm glad you are bored, perhaps you will shut-up.

[TheBurk]

what the fuck does this have to do with texas? and dont say gay marriage is only banned in texas, its banned in a lot of states.