One wonders what went through former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett’s head before he dipped his pen in venom and consigned same-sex couples with children as less than ideal parents. Possibly not a lot.
Certainly not the fact he is supposed to lead Australia’s national depression initiative which, last time I checked, is supposed to help people feel better, not worse, about themselves.
Beyondblue has been playing catch-up in the last 18 months, trying desperately to make up for years of paralysis on LGBTI self-harm rates and suicide rates. In one column, Kennett has undone years of hard work.
“The best environment in which to bring a child into the world is a stable, loving environment in which a male and female are married to each other,” Kennett asserted.
Spruiking the virtues of marriage as offering children a stable upbringing is all fine and good, however narrow-sighted, but to dismiss same-sex parented families as being unsuitable is simply lazy prejudice.
Not once does Kennett use evidence to back up his claims to prove that gender specifically is the determiner of a stable environment for children. The report he uses — Professor Patrick Parkinson’s For Kids’ Sake — certainly makes no such leaps.
While research on rainbow families is limited, a 2010 US study found that children raised by lesbian mothers scored very closely to children raised by heterosexual parents on scales of development and social behaviour. In the same study, children in lesbian-parented homes scored higher than kids in straight families on self-esteem and confidence, were shown to have performed better academically, and were less likely to have behavioural problems. Doesn’t sound too bad to me.
Proving she has a much better handle on things, beyondblue CEO Dawn O’Neil moved to put out the flames, issuing a statement stating research shows it doesn’t matter what family type children are in, it’s children with close relationships with their parents who have better school and psychosocial adjustment.
“The KidsMatter program also supports the position that it is the quality of the parenting that makes a difference, not the gender of the parents,” she said.
Data on beyondblue’s website shows homosexual and bisexual people have higher levels of anxiety disorders and rates of depression than straight counterparts.
The reason, according to beyondblue’s own literature, is “the effects of homophobia and heterosexism on the mental health of non-heterosexual people”.
“In addressing depression for non-heterosexual people, the most effective response will be to institute measures to combat homophobia and discrimination in the general community.”
Perhaps Kennett needs to acquaint himself with some of the research, published on his very own website, and wonder if there’s a connection between publicly trashing rainbow families and the reason gays and lesbians might seek out beyondblue in the first place.
