I blogged recently about Naomi Cahn and June Carbone’s recently published book Red Families v. Blue Families (NY: Oxford UP, 2010). I noted that, in my view, this study points to the conclusion that traditional American families will soon need to pay close attention to same-sex ones, as the traditional model of marriage and family falls apart in precisely those parts of the U.S. most determined to resist same-sex marriage.
And so I'm interested to read Ellen Friedrichs' piece at Alternet, citing recent studies which suggest that same-sex parents are often raising children more successfully than opposite-sex couples are doing. This is a trend to which I think we all need to stay tuned. In the not-distant-future, same-sex families will increasingly be included in studies of families that are "working" as model families.
The religious and political right may not like this trend one little bit. But it's what empirical research is increasingly showing, and bona fide social scientific research on families and family life is not going to ignore these findings, despite the kvetching of those who wish to promote discrimination against same-sex couples and families on religious grounds.
