No Differences? How Children in Same-Sex Households Fare is an anthology of scholarly papers examining the latest data and scholarly literature on the social well-being of children raised in same-sex households. In 2005, the American Psychological Association (APA) declared that there was “not a single study” showing that children of gay or lesbian parents were disadvantaged compared to children from mother-father homes. This declaration became a milestone in the dramatic and unprecedented shift of popular opinion on same-sex parenting. This anthology presents social science research essays that strongly challenge the APA claim and provide evidence for the opposite claim, that children do best in married mother-father homes. Published in leading, peer-reviewed journals and supplemented by easy-to-read summaries of each academic article, the essays in this volume help clarify crucial points of debate regarding the "no differences" claim, including the weaknesses of the gay-parenting studies affirming the children are doing just fine; the comparative strengths of the academic research that finds the opposite; the actual setbacks children from same-sex homes suffer; and hypotheses as to why the children experience the negative outcomes. Ultimately, the researchers argue that the instability in same-sex parented homes, the loss of one or more biological parents; and the unequal gender distribution of the parents are among the likely channels by which children from these homes suffer harm. For those who are interested in the academic debate but desire summaries that make the language easier for the non-specialist to understand, No Differences? will be a helpful resource for examining the role that family structures play in the well-being and flourishing of children.
