Children of Same-Sex Parents Are Well-Adjusted

From the “But We Knew This” department:

Research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics Conference and Exhibition last week concluded there are no overall difference in self-esteem, gender identity, or emotional problems between children of same-sex parents and children of opposite-sex parents. Ellen C. Perrin, professor of pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine, who presented the work, compiled data from 15 studies on more than 500 children.

While most of the studies emphasized the lack of differences between children of same-sex and opposite-sex parents, some actually found positive differences in lesbian homes. Lesbian couples tend to share household responsibilities more evenly, and their children “are less aggressive, more nurturing to peers, more tolerant of diversity, and more inclined to play with both boy’s and girl’s toys.” A more equal division of labor seems to help produce more well-adjusted children, Perrin concludes. (I’ll have to remember that next time it’s my sweetie’s turn to take out the garbage.)