Sexual Orientation Lesbian and Gay Couples and Their Children Effects of Prejudice and Discrimination Conclusion

APA Briefing Sheet: June 2006

What Does the Psychological Research Say
About Same-Sex Families and Relationships?

The issue of same-sex marriage has become a topic of much public debate in the United States. The U.S. Congress and a number of state legislatures are considering legislation to amend the U.S. or state constitutions, respectively, to prohibit same-sex marriage. In 2003, the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ordered the state government to issue marriage licenses without regard to sexual orientation beginning May 17, 2004, and limited this ruling to state residents earlier this year. Furthermore, marriages of same-sex couples have been performed openly in California, New Mexico, New York, and Oregon, and cases arising from those marriages, as well as other cases that predate the performances of marriages, are under judicial consideration.

This briefing paper is designed to inform the public policy debate on same-sex marriage with knowledge gained from psychological research. Much can be learned from the extensive empirical literature on sexual orientation, lesbian and gay couples and their children, and the effects of prejudice and discrimination.

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