Homosexual parents in custody disputes: a thousand child-years exposure

Psychol Rep. 2003 Dec;93(3 Pt 2):1173-94. doi: 10.2466/pr0.2003.93.3f.1173.

Abstract

Through 1998, 78 custody appeal decisions involving 79 homosexual parents were evaluated. The 142 children involved in these cases were exposed to a thousand child-years of homosexual parenting. In appeals records (a) parents recorded as lying or engaging in criminality or homosexuality were more apt to be recorded as harming children; (b) homosexuals more frequently were recorded as lying or engaging in criminality; (c) in 54 (70%) disputes the homosexual parent or his associates and in 4 (5%) the heterosexual parent was recorded as having exposed the children to harm(s), e.g., neglect, seduction; and (d) homosexuals were responsible for 111 (97%) of the 115 recorded harms to children. For 78 nonhomosexual vs nonhomosexual control cases, in 11 (14%) the 141 children were exposed to 12 harms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Child
  • Child Abuse / statistics & numerical data*
  • Child Custody / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Female
  • Homosexuality / psychology*
  • Homosexuality / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parents / psychology*
  • United States / epidemiology