Scholarly article

Walewski, James. "The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children." The American Journal of Pediatrics. Vol. 118, No. 1, July 2006, pp. 349-364.

The issue of whether LGBT citizens should be allowed to raise children is one of the most controversial surrounding the debate over whether marriage for these couples should be legalized. In this extensive study, pediatricians examined the effects these unions had on the couple's children. The study begins by pointing out that same-sex couples live in 99.3 percent of United States counties with as many as 35 percent of those raising children. The study found that gay and lesbian parents expressed more concern in their child's development and in finding role models for their children than heterosexual parents with children of the same age. It also says that children of gay and lesbian parents are socially ostracized because of prohibition of school groups such as gay-straight alliance in most counties. The study is one of the only of its kind and examines a new facet of the LGBT family. It is also concisely written, with lots of background information and easily usable statistics.