“Here’s Why Marriage Is Good For Same Sex Couples” - Gay Couples Institute™ - San Francisco, CA

Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage in California, was just overturned. Many people have been asking us whether marriage really helps gay/lesbian relationships last long term.

Marriage does help same sex relationships. Here’s two important pieces of evidence:

An important article in the Journal of Developmental Psychology in 2003 followed up with Vermont-based couples who went through civil unions from 2000-2002. It compared those unionized couples with a) their gay un-unionized friends’ relationships, and b) their heterosexual married friends, to see how long the unionized couples stayed together.

It found that the gay/lesbian couples who unionized stayed together at the SAME RATE as their married heterosexual counterparts, and LONGER THAN their friends who had un-unionized relationships. In short, a union that is recognized by the government helps couples stay together longer.

Read complete report:

http://www.gaycouplesinstitute.org/blog/2010/08/04/heres-why-marriage-is-good-for-same-sex-couples/

“The Positive Aspects of Being Gay or Lesbian”

http://www.gaycouplesinstitute.org/blog/2008/02/15/the-positive-aspects-of-being-gay-or-lesbian/

Gay Couples Institute™

760 Market, Suite 1019,

San Francisco, CA 94102

http://www.gaycouplesinstitute.org//index.htm

“The Positive Aspects of Being Gay or Lesbian” - Gay Couples Institute™ - San Francisco, CA

Just coming out?

Maybe this article will be good for you to read.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky in Lexington surveyed over 500 gay men and women, inquiring about the positive aspects of being gay. Up until now, most of the research has focused on psychopathology, or negative mental health problems associated with being gay or lesbian.

But many gays and lesbians will tell you that there are positive aspects of such a life. In fact, they found 10 universal themes:

 1.  Belonging to a community

 2.  Creating families of choice

 3.  Forging strong connections with others

 4.  Serving as positive role models

 5.  Developing empathy and compassion

 6.  Living authentically and honestly

 7.  Gaining personal insight and sense of self

 8.  Involvement in social justice and activism

 9.  Freedom from gender-specific roles

10. Freedom to explore sexuality and relationships

Riggle, Ellen D. B.; Whitman, Joy S.; Olson, Amber; Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol 39(2), Apr 2008. pp. 210-217.

Gay Couples Institute™

760 Market, Suite 1019,

San Francisco, CA 94102

http://www.gaycouplesinstitute.org/blog/2008/02/15/the-positive-aspects-of-being-gay-or-lesbian/