Friday, August 5, 2011

American Psychological Association Policymaking Body Votes 157-0 to Support Marriage Equality

In a move that a leading sociologist on the subject says "is significant for the ongoing public policy and legal battles in Washington and around the states," the policymaking body of the American Psychological Association has unanimously (157-0) approved a resolution supporting same-sex marriage, USA Today reports:

The group, with more than 154,000 members, has long supported full equal rights for gays, based on social science research on sexual orientation. Now the nation's psychologists — citing an increasing body of research about same-sex marriage, as well as increased discussion at the state and federal levels — took the support to a new level...

...The resolution points to numerous recent studies, including findings that "many gay men and lesbians, like their heterosexual counterparts, desire to form stable, long-lasting and committed intimate relationships and are successful in doing so."

It adds that "emerging evidence suggests that statewide campaigns to deny same-sex couples legal access to civil marriage are a significant source of stress to the lesbian, gay and bisexual residents of those states and may have negative effects on their psychological well-being."


Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/#ixzz1U5uWzqp3

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