Science Proves Same-Sex Parents Have No Negative Impact, All You Need is Love

Study shows love is more important than gender when it comes to raising children

Lately, the phrase “on the wrong side of history” has become popular, particularly in reference to the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage. Thanks to a recent study, it may be time to start using “on the wrong side of science.”

From an article on PopSugar, according to a study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the “quality of family relationships” has more influence on a child’s well-being than the structure of the family.

Can you say “No shit, Sherlock!”?

I find it hard to believe that anyone who has spent time around a healthy same-sex couple, or a bickering heterosexual couple, or single parents, would think there is any factor more important in raising a child than love. And loving your child has nothing to do with sexual orientation, or race, or religion, or marital status.

“In addition, “no differences” were found in children despite their parents’ orientations.”

It’s sad to think that this is still a debate, but, even despite the highest court in the country ruling in favor of gay marriage, it is. It’s even more sad to think that science, as definitive as it can be, cannot trump prejudice. Because make no mistake, the same way climate change is ignored, and gun control is resisted, and racism continues to thrive, emotion outweighs reason far more often than it should. This study will likely be ignored.

This is good news, but was a scientific study on this topic really necessary? Common sense and basic human decency have long made it clear that it hardly matters what type of parents a child had, so long as those parents (or that one parent, or grandparents, or foster parents) love the child. That is the most important aspect of any relationship. Unfortunately, common sense seems to be in short supply these days, especially in the United States.

There are a lot of divisions in this country, and never are those divisions more apparent than during an election year. The Republicans can’t seem to choose between their terrible candidates, the Democratic candidates are getting nastier by the day, and the general public is just watching in varying degrees of disgust and bemusement. The one thing we should be able to get behind is the welfare of our kids, and if for whatever reason you weren’t sure certain people were supposed to be parents? Science has solved that for you.

There are a million bigger issues to worry about than same-sex marriage and same-sex parents and other people’s marriages and other people’s lives. I’m glad that science is supporting what most of us already knew, but if it took science to convince you, welcome to the 21st century.