The American Psychological Association (APA) on Monday issued updated resolutions in support of LGBTQ parents and LGBTQ children, and opposing laws, policies, and practices that discriminate against LGBTQ people.
Today, the March for Science in Washington, D.C. and hundreds of other global locations will encourage science that “upholds the common good” and allows evidence-based policymaking in the public interest. I thus thought this was a good time to look at how science has specifically helped LGBTQ parents and our children.
What if all the best scholarly research about children with lesbian or gay parents was gathered into a single online portal? The “What We Know” project has done just that, and will likely become a key reference for policymakers, journalists, researchers, and the public.
A new study shows that having a child triggers changes in a mother’s brain — and that becoming a parent via surrogacy can trigger changes in a gay man’s brain, too. Interestingly, the gay men’s pattern of brain activity “resembles that of both new mothers and new fathers,” reports Reuters. The article speculates that the research “could feed into the debate over whether gay men should be allowed to adopt children.” As fascinating as the findings may be, I rather hope they’re not used in the adoption argument.
Yesterday in the Detroit Free Press (and picked up in USA Today), Tresa Baldas wrote about the federal case beginning today in Michigan that will determine whether same-sex couples can marry and adopt there. She states, “now, for the first time, scientific studies on same-sex parenting will undergo legal scrutiny.” Really? The first time? REALLY?
Passing along this request for volunteers to participate in an academic study of same- and opposite-sex engaged couples. I am not affiliated with the project; please contact the researcher if you have questions. (I do think it is important to have LGBT voices in broad research like this, though.) Engaged volunteers needed! I am looking
Passing along this request for LGBT families to take part in a short online survey. I don’t know the researchers myself, but blogger and LGBT activist Helen Boyd of en | Gender, who also teaches at Lawrence University, vouches for the professors and students involved. If you have a few minutes, please help them out!
