Correction Appended

While little is understood about children raised by gay or lesbian couples, there are a host of studies showing that children do better when raised by intact biological married parents. Plus, there is some preliminary research suggesting that children raised by gay or lesbian couples may not do as well as those raised by their married mother and father.

Part one of this series noted that researchers are at least two decades away from being able to reliably measure the health and well-being outcomes of children raised by gay or lesbian couples, despite what the American Sociological Association argued in an amicus brief for one of the recent U.S. Supreme Court cases on gay marriage. The phenomenon of same-sex parenting has only recently become socially acceptable and widespread enough to begin gathering reliable data. Researchers require large random samples that include same-sex parents. Plus, they need time for these children of same-sex parents to grow up, so they can compare their well-being to those not raised by same-sex parents. more >>

Illinois GOP Senator Mark Kirk officially voiced his support for same-sex marriage on Tuesday, making him the second Senate Republican to do so.

"When I climbed the Capitol steps in January, I promised myself that I would return to the Senate with an open mind and greater respect for others," Kirk, who represents the 120th congressional district of Illinois, said in a brief statement released Tuesday.

"Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage. Our time on this earth is limited, I know that better than most. Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back – government has no place in the middle," the senator added. more >>

Homosexuality and gay marriage are two of the most unnecessarily divisive social issues facing this nation.

Licking their wounds from the last election, Republicans look to return to their roots of minimal government intrusion and freedom. Backing off their Bible-based dogma on same-sex marriage might be a start. Many on the right fringe of the Party would have objections to Labradoodles being bred.

No social issues have changed as much in recent years as support for same-sex marriage. In a recent CBS News poll, 53 percent of us now approve. Notable for the Republicans, 56 percent of independents and 75 percent of those under 30 years of age are in favor of gay marriage. The GOP should remember the report that called for being more inclusive and less judgmental. Now might be a good time to thump those Bibles a little more quietly. more >>

Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX), has said that personal situations should not get in the way of defending traditional marriage, responding to Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman's decision to embrace same-sex marriage because of his gay son.

Griggs, who also has a gay son, invited Sen. Portman to rethink his position and become an honorary member of PFOX.

"As the mother of a homosexual child, I understand how Sen. Portman feels," the PFOX executive director began in her letter. more >>

The USS Traditional Marriage has sailed.

So reports emergent-evangelical leader Rob Bell, who has recently signed on with the USS Same-Sex Marriage.

Bell declared at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, San Francisco, March 17: "I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it's a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are." more >>

Last week I wrote about public opinion polls, arguing that they are influenced by people's desire to give socially acceptable answers to human questioners and that poll results can differ vastly when a robotic caller is employed. If, however, we accept as true a shift in public opinion on same-sex marriage, what trends and forces explain that change?

The most visible is the entertainment industry's increasingly affirmative depictions of homosexuality. Soap operas, such as All My Children, that introduced gay themes and gay relationships as early as 2000, movies like Brokeback Mountain, The Color Purple, and Precious, and the continuing string of actors and actresses who have come out in recent years have no doubt helped move public opinion toward support of same-sex marriage. Although most religious groups, including non-Christian ones in their orthodox forms, oppose same-sex marriages, there are notable exceptions among Christian groups. Episcopalians, Unitarian Universalists, and the United Church of Christ all support same-sex marriages. The ordination of gay priests and same-sex marriages continue to split numerous churches and denomination.

Besides the endorsement of gay marriage in Hollywood, another force of cultural change is our schools. Public schools have pushed an agenda that includes the normalizing of homosexual relationships and greater tolerance for sexual exploration. Increasingly, young people are surprising their parents by coming out of the closet. Bible-believing Christians are surprising their friends, neighbors, and congregants by shifting their stance to one of acceptance when a relative adopts a gay lifestyle. These are the times in which we live. Moreover, we can expect the percentage of young people who express same-sex attractions to grow because of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) propaganda campaign that is taking place in many public schools across the nation. more >>