Michael Roth Professor Douglas English 1102 17 March 2014 Annotated Bibliography Bailey, J. Michael, et al.

"Sexual Orientation Of Adult Sons Of Gay Fathers." Developmental Psychology 31.1 (1995): 124-129. PsycARTICLES. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. Bailey and company study the transmission of sexual orientation from father to son. They wanted to determine if having a gay father caused a son to become gay. They only studied around 50 sons and obviously this only applied to males. They study was not large enough to determine a definitive conclusion on the effects but confirmed one notion: the vast majority of son of gay men are heterosexual. This is a reliable source as the information is almost uniformly numerical. However, like many studies the sample size is far too small to draw larger conclusions. The goal was to investigate a relationship between having a gay father and the likelihood of a son being gay. This study was conducted in 7 different cities in different states in multiple regions of the United States. This lends to the minimization of local norms within the study. This source somewhat suggest there is little effect on sexual orientation but this study was limited to men. It will be very minimal in supporting my argument but provides many facts to build a congruent argument. This has altered my view of my topic, I always assumed having a gay father would make the son more likely to be gay. Chamberlain, Shelby. Unh.edu. Rep. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. Chamberlain compiles a variety of studies on the effects of lesbian and gay parents on childhood development. In essence, this is my exact topic. The compilation is an overview of 3 studies conducted over the past 2 decades. However, this is a report of those studies; I do not have those particular studies at hand. Therefore, I am relying on Chamberlains interpretation and summary of each study. This is a very powerful source as it alone adds three new perspectives and analysis. It is similar in that it provides factual studies but also adds interpretation. This also adds bias; perhaps Chamberlain interpreted these studies in a positive or negative light. Or they could have been misinterpreted. A layman can very easily misinterpret scientific information such as a cure for cancer or arguments against global warming citing a cold winter.

This source expands my pool of research and can be seen simply as a summary of studies. In that context, this source can add both support and refute each perspective of the effects of gay parents. I will need to take special attention to try and remove the writers bias in interpretation. I may need to find each of these studies to do so. Chang, Louis, MD. "Study: Same-Sex Parents Raise Well-Adjusted Kids." WebMD. WebMD, 12 Oct. 2005. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. This article was found on webmd.com and is commercial website however the articles are reviewed by medical doctors and therefore can be seen as a trusted source. This article reports on 15 studies conducted over the past 3 decades specifically on the self-esteem and social development of children who grew up in a same-sex parental household. The article pulls many facts from each of the studies by can lack context at certain points. This can be overcome by finding each of the studies. This source does lack the legitimacy of some other sources inherently because it is a .com site. Accordingly the information must be viewed in a cautious light and examined for biases. This source will be helpful to examine the specific social effects of same-sex parents. Many studies focused on intelligence or sexual orientation. Fewer focused on the most legitimate issue to a school-aged child: bullying and social development. In some communities same-sex parents can cause a child to be teased. G., E. "Gay Marriage: Not Thinking about the Children." Economist.com. N.p., 13 June 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2014 This source is a blog posting from The Economist and is opinionated in nature. It does have a bias that must be made clearer. There is not much reference to scientific studies which must lead the reader to believe this source is mostly opinionated. It is much more a social commentary on the status of gay marriage and how it overlooks the children caught within the legal and social struggle. This piece is less legitimate due to the inherent nature of a blog and therefore is more opinionated and less fact-driven. However, The Economist is a very legitimate and well-founded publication. Nonetheless, any blog source must be noted for bias. This blog does criticize much of the original studies on children who had gay parents. There isnt much to be gained from an argumentative stance but simply opens the discussion to a more unique perspective. This has a substantive value in widening the viewing glass of the observer to this line of inquiry. Like all blogs, these are simply words and interpreted opinions. Lavner, Justin A., Jill Waterman, and Letitia Anne Peplau. "Can Gay And Lesbian Parents Promote Healthy Development In High-Risk Children Adopted From Foster

Care?." American Journal Of Orthopsychiatry 82.4 (2012): 465-472. PsycARTICLES. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. Lavner and company conduct a study of high-risk adopted children in same-sex households. A variety of conditions are included such as parental drug abuse, prematurity, neglect, abuse and multiple placements. The study is limited to Los Angeles County with 82 families but is longitudinal. The general consensus is that high-risk children adopted into heterosexual or samesex families show large developmental gains. This study is a useful source as it is objective in nature. The information is reliable but limited. The study had a wide pool of 82 families but only limited to Los Angeles, California. The goal of this source is to report the information found in the study but does not interpret it. This adds credibility to the study by limiting conductor bias. This source supports my argument that there are no negative effects on children who are raised by same-sex couples. This study goes a step further by conducting the study on high-risk adopted children. This study can be used to refute arguments against same-sex marriage and adoption. Patterson, Charlotte J. "Children Of Lesbian And Gay Parents: Psychology, Law, And Policy." Psychology Of Sexual Orientation And Gender Diversity 1.S (2013): 27-34. PsycARTICLES. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. Patterson writes a mostly observational piece where he examines a variety of studies and other scholarly publications. In the article Patterson criticizes the current inconsistencies in the U.S. legal system that sometimes allows and sometimes forbids same-sex marriages and adoptions. Additionally, multiple studies are cited which support the notion that same-sex parents have no ill effect on children. The source is scholarly in nature and therefore warrants more merit than most others. While this source is less biased than most, the writer tended to speak for the information rather than simply present the information. The writer examines legal, psychological and political realms and highlights the disconnection between science and legal/political realities. This creates a social commentary feel to the piece. This source draws on many scholarly articles and therefore will be useful to include a variety of academic perspective. This shapes my argument by suggesting the effects of gay marriage on children arent scientific or measurable but are social and exerted by outside forces. This goes to say there are no effects on children. Sprigg, Peter. "Family Research Council." Family Research Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. The source is an article from a very conservative group, the Family Research Council. It must be treated as a biased piece. The article examines the result concluded during a deeply flawed

scientific survey of children who had at least one gay or lesbian parent. It then creates a quasiscientific assessment yet doesnt mention any of the major faults of the survey. This source is useful as it juxtaposes a different article that actually refers to this same survey. This will allow me to examine the same information from multiple viewpoints. The information from this source must be viewed for the known bias it already presents. The goal of this source is to cast a negative shadow on gay parents. It is very clear. This source will help shape the divide of opinions and highlight the faults in many of the interpretations of scientific studies. This source has allowed me to see the biases more clearly and actually expose biases on multiple fronts. "Sexual Orientation, Parents, & Children." Http://www.apa.org. N.p., 30 July 2005. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. This website is the official policy statement by the American Psychological Association on parental sexual orientation and effects on children. The APA is a reputable and reliable scientific organization which represents the whole of psychological research and policy within the United States. This source lists the three classic concerns against gay and lesbian parents then addresses each individually. This source has a very limited bias and is likely the most reputable source on such a gray-area issue. The information and official policy opinion is backed by peer-reviewed research. This lends to the legitimacy of such a policy statement. The APA has no drive to further or hinder a homosexual agenda and therefore can be trusted as an independent source. While individual scientific studies are helpful to investigate specific corridors of a topic, the official policy statement from the most widely recognized psychological association carries far more weight and legitimacy. Very simply, this source trumps most others. The information found at this source can be used to legitimize each of the smaller surveys and studies conducted.