Psychologists' group backs gay marriage

The nation's largest association of psychologists is backing same-sex marriage. The American Psychological Association's Council of Representatives made its support official Wednesday, the first day of the group's annual convention in Honolulu. The council also expressed opposition to discrimination against lesbian and gay parents. It also found same-sex and heterosexual couples remarkably similar, and parenting effectiveness and children's psychological well-being unrelated to parental sexual orientation. The positions, drawn up by the APA Working Group on Same-Sex Families and Relationships, are meant to guide psychologists in the public debate over civil marriage for same-sex couples. "In the context of the huge social and political debate that is currently going on, APA and psychologists had to grapple with the issue of what psychology believes is in the public interest in this controversy," said Armand R. Cerbone, a Chicago psychologist who chaired the working group. The seven-member working group based its recommendations on research into same-sex relationships and families. The Washington, D.C.-based APA has more than 150,000 members, including researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students.