09.22.2009 10:59am EDTFrom a press release:
(Portland, Maine) Citing child welfare and their commitment to support what is best for children, physicians from the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) today announced their support for the NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality campaign.
“Children who are raised by legally married parents benefit from the legal status granted to their parents. What is good for parents and families is good for children,” said Dr. Jonathan Fanburg, president of the Maine Chapter of the AAP. “The Maine Chapter of AAP is opposed to the referendum vote that challenges the marriage equality law.”
The Maine Chapter’s statement reads, in part:
“As physicians who care for children and their families, we are committed to supporting what is best for children. And there is no question that when their parents can marry, children are more protected legally and socially.”
“Marriage equality is the right thing for Maine’s children, and will strengthen and protect families who have lacked legal recognition for too long,” said Augusta pediatrician Dan Summers. “As pediatricians, we see how supportive parents — whether gay or straight — positively impact the development of children. That is why we oppose the referendum that would rescind the law that allows same sex couples to marry.”
A national report commissioned by the national AAP concludes that the legal status that marriage achieves “promotes healthy families by conferring a powerful set of rights, benefits, and protections that cannot be obtained by other means.”
It seems so logical and reasonable. What is good for parents is good for kids. Can you imagine what it must feel like for a child to know that his parents can’t get married? Not that they don’t want to but that they can not get married because someone else makes the rules. That can’t be a good environment to grow up in. Imagine the sense of futility, insecurity and resentment this might harbor in a young child. If society treats a child’s parents like second class citizens then what must the child consider himself in the eyes of society?
Marriage Equality = Increases Our Human Potential
I think Marriage Equality is bringing the LGBT population to a healthy state mind and well-being, where it belongs. I think in truth and soon more significantly by research we are going to find that the general population is more LGBT as a whole, than not.
I say this from being a bartender, priest, pastor, psychologist and now an activist of the LGBTI people. My life has always been surrounded by a diversity of people. Researchers show us that components of human sexuality are on continuums. This means that nearly everyone is a mixture of LGBT components to some degree.
And the harsh ignorant antiLGBTI social and religious norms just keeps us separated from one another because of what we cannot accept in our themselves.
Educating people about the complexities that make up human sexuality that each person is a unique mixture of components of LGBTI, it will, for one, increase the human potential in the world by leaps and bounds, finding cures of all kinds of diseases and much more.
The best thing to do for the well-being and safety of all children would be if people against Marriage Equality spent their money to academically study human sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity and the bible. This is what children need the truth. People speaking out on such life and death issues should not speak out of ignorance and fear, thus spreading hatred and violence that indiscriminately is severely harmful to all children.
My name is Fr. Marty Kurylowicz, I came out publicly, as a gay priest to my parishioners in March 1997. Sparta, Michigan (Grand Rapids, MI). I did so because I felt a strong moral obligation to draw attention to the serious harm caused to very young children who grow up to be gay, who are raised in social environments influenced by antigay social and religious norms.
I have started a project called the “Thalamus Center” to continue to this advocacy for children to stop this type of child abuse.
What I don't get…is the whole I don't mind if gays have civil unions but they can't get married.
Other than semantics what in heaven's name is the difference?
To me it is the last grasp of I don't even know what holding onto a final wall of defense against their own fears.