Hooray for APsaA!

The American Psychoanalytic Association issued a position statement on gay marriage. They're for it:

WHEREAS homosexuality is a normal variant of adult sexuality and,

WHEREAS gay men and lesbians possess the same potential and desire for sustained loving and lasting relationships as heterosexuals and,

WHEREAS same-sex couples are raising children and have the same potential and desire as heterosexual couples to love and parent children and,

WHEREAS existing marriage laws in the United States discriminate against same-sex couples and,

WHEREAS same-sex couples and their children are adversely affected by these discriminatory marriage laws and,

WHEREAS the milestone of marriage moves a couple and its children into full citizenship in American society and, WHEREAS discriminatory marriage laws deprive gay and lesbian couples of over 1000 federal rights and benefits and,

WHEREAS the denial of such benefits has been demonstrated to have significant psychological and social impact on gay and lesbian couples and their families, and the converse, that research is now substantiating the benefit that accrues to married same-sex couples and their children

The American Psychoanalytic Association supports the legal recognition of same-sex civil marriage with all the rights, benefits and responsibilities conferred by civil marriage, and opposes discrimination against same-sex couples, and the denial to same-sex couples these same rights, benefits and responsibilities.

That page dates the statement as being from January 2007, but for whatever reason it's getting into the news now:

We want people to think about the broad impact the denial of same-sex marriage has on Americans today, says Ethan Grumbach, Ph.D., chair of APsaA's Committee on Gay and Lesbian Issues. Families exist in many different ways and it is important for same-sex couples to have legal and societal recognition of their unions for themselves, their children, and their extended families.

APsaAs Committee on Gay and Lesbian Issues reviewed extensive research on homosexual relationships and gay and lesbian parents and their children prior to issuing this statement in January 2008. Some relevant statistics and research results are:

...

-- In a 2006 paper, Charlotte Patterson concluded, Results of the research (of various population samples of lesbian and gay families) suggest that qualities of family relationships are more tightly linked with child (development) outcomes than is parental sexual orientation.