Gay parents good for children according to new study

Children brought up by gay couples are healthier and have better relationships with their families, according to a new Australian-based study.

The research, which looked at the wellbeing of 500 children in Australia, found that children of same-sex couples scored higher for overall health and family cohesion by a significant margin, so much so that the researchers said usually such results would only occur by chance less than 1 in 10,000 times.

The study also found that the self-esteem of children and the amount of time they spent with their parents was no different for same sex parents as it was for the rest of the population.

Researchers are at this stage unsure why children fared better with same-sex parents, however Dr Simon Crouch, lead author on the Melbourne University study, said:

“Because of the situation that same-sex families find themselves in, they are generally more willing to communicate and approach the issues that any child may face at school, like teasing or bullying.”

“This fosters openness and means children tend to be more resilient. That would be our hypothesis.”

Lords, religious leaders and ministers have all recently spoken out against gay marriage on the basis it would be harmful for children.

They would do well to look at the emerging evidence to the contrary.