Children with same-sex parents are happier and healthier, researchers claim

What a load of codswallop!  The journal abstract is here.  The indices of health were AS REPORTED BY THE PARENT!  Any chance of bias there?

There is also no mention of control for social class


Children of same sex parents have above average health and wellbeing, the largest ever study of its kind has found.

Researchers analysed 315 same sex parents with a total of 500 children, and say they had scores that were on average six per cent greater than the general population on measures of general health and family cohesion.

However, the study also warned stigma was an ongoing challenge for these children, and could have an impact on their health and wellbeing.

The University of Melbourne research published in the journal BMC Public Health is based on data from the Australian Study of Child Health in Same-Sex Families (ACHESS), the largest of its kind in the world, which involved input from 315 same sex parents with a total of 500 children.

Of these families, 80 per cent had female parents while 18 per cent had male parents.

'These children are growing up in a range of family contexts formed in a range of ways; from previous heterosexual relationships, to assisted reproductive technologies and same sex co-parenting arrangements,' said Dr Simon Crouch.

The research revealed children in same-sex parent families had scores that were on average six per cent greater than the general population on measures of general health and family cohesion.

Temperament and mood, behavior, mental health, emotional role, and self-esteem children were equivalent to children from the general population.

However,however in areas of general health and family cohesion in particular, children with same-sex attracted parents were doing better than those in the general population.

'It appears that same-sex parent families get a long well and this has a positive impact on health,' Dr Crouch said.

'We know that same-sex attracted parents are more likely to share child care and work responsibilities more equitably than heterosexual parent families, based more on skills rather than gender roles.

'This appears to be contributing to a more harmonious household and having a positive impact on child health,' he said.

'This study shows that children can thrive in a range of family contexts and the ways that these families are constructed can bring their own particular benefits to child health and wellbeing,' he said.

However, around two thirds of children with same-sex attracted parents experience some form of stigma due to their parents’ sexual orientation which impacts on mental and emotional wellbeing.

'Stigma can be subtle, such as letters home from school addressed to Mr and Mrs,' Dr Crouch said.  'Or it can be overt and very harmful, in the form of bullying and abuse at school.

'What we have found is that the more stigma these families experience the greater the impact on the social and emotional wellbeing of children.'

SOURCE







UK Government freezes the assets of 25 Muslims and 26 Islamic charities linked to jihad groups

Pamela Geller

    The UK treasury published a list yesterday that included the names of 25 individuals and 26 organizations believed to be fighting and/or supporting jihad activity in Syria. Apparently this is part of the  UK government’s plan to prevent British Muslims from traveling to Syria to fight in the cause of Islam.It is also aimed at preventing zakat (islamic charity) from reaching jihad terror groups.How this strategy dovetails with banning Robert Spencer and me from speaking against jihad in the UK is quite the mystery. That and the UK’s recent sale of more than 200 million pounds ($339 million) in Islamic bonds — “the first non-Muslim sovereign issuer of the debt.” Zakat (Islamic charity) is mandatory in Islamic finance. Zakat funds jihad.“UK jihadists have assets frozen by Treasury,” The Independent, July 5, 2014 (thanks to Halal Pork Shop)The UK government has decided to freeze the assets of three men believed to be in Syria fighting for jihadist groups.

The three men, who include Nasser Muthana and Reyaad Khan both 20 and from Cardiff, as well as Ruhul Amin from Aberdeen, are all on the list of people facing sanctions from the British treasury.The list, which was published yesterday, includes the names of 25 individuals and 26 organisations and is part of the government’s plan to prevent British citizens from travelling to Syria and becoming involved in jihadist militant groups.It is also aimed at preventing terrorist organisations from receiving funding from accounts in Britain.

The decision by the UK government comes a few days after a man claiming to be Nasser Muthana posted a picture of 15 homemade bombs above the words “So the UK is afraid I come back with the skills I’ve gained”.Read the rest. The US has prosecuted Islamic charities in the US for much the same thing. CAIR, ISNA, MSA were all named co-conspirators in the largest such case in the US — the Holy Land Foundation trial.

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UK: Homosexual marriage cake leaves Christian bakery facing court threat

A Christian-run bakery is facing legal action from a Government agency for refusing to produce a cake carrying a picture of the Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie and the slogan “support gay marriage”.

Ashers Baking Co, based in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, cancelled an order for a novelty cake with a picture of the puppets arm in arm printed onto the icing saying that it went against the directors’ religious beliefs.

They believe that producing the cake with the slogan and the logo of QueerSpace, a gay rights group the would-be customer supports, would amount to endorsing the campaign for the introduction of gay marriage in the province, and go against their religious convictions.

But the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has now written to the firm claiming that it is breaking the law.

A letter signed by the legal office orders the firm to “remedy your illegal discrimination” within seven days or be taken to court by the commission.

It claimed that refusing to print the cake amounted to discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation against the man who placed the order.

The Christian institute, which is supporting the bakery, says it is not discriminatory for managers to refuse to endorse a political campaign.

Gay marriage is not legal in Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK in which it is not on the statute book.

Colin Hart, chief executive of the Christian Institute, said: “This is a sign of things to come exactly as we predicted.

“The Government repeatedly failed to listen to members of the public, lawyers, constitutional experts even its own MPs when they called for safeguards to protect those who back traditional marriage, especially those who work in the public sector.

“Now this nonsense, more usually associated with the public sector, is being applied to the private sector.

“This means millions of ordinary people who do not agree with gay marriage, face intimidation and the real threat of legal action from the forces of political correctness if they, out of conscience, decline to provide good or services to campaign groups they do not agree with or support.

“It establishes a dangerous precedent about the power of the state over an individual, or business to force them to go against their deeply held beliefs.”

SOURCE






Teach boys how to be feminists to stop culture of abuse towards girls, says Labour

No indoctrination is ever enough for the Left

Schoolboys need to have lessons in feminism to help teach them out to treat women, Labour claims.  Compulsory sex education classes should be held in all schools to tackle the rise of sexist abuse fuelled by internet porn, Yvette Cooper said.

The shadow home secretary warned a culture is spreading in schools where girls are subject to verbal abuse and have their shirts undone and skirts lifted by boys who do not respect them.

Schools, colleges and universities are to be consulted on changes in rules – or the law – which are needed to tackle the problem.

Labour warns too many boys believe abuse is ‘normal’ and it is fuelling a culture of violence against women and girls.

Ms Cooper insisted the problems being played out in classrooms today are more than the ‘hormonal mix of over-excited boys, irritated girls, and clumsy flirting that gets a bit out of hand’.

Writing in the Independent, she said the problems are getting worse, with growing levels of abuse and harassment of young women and girls.

The National Union of Students is also worried about a trend of jokes about rape and ‘innocent’ groping on campuses.

Labour would introduce compulsory sex and relationship education into schools, which would include ‘teaching zero tolerance of violence in relationships’.

Ms Cooper added: ‘For years we have talked about the importance of empowering our daughters, giving them the confidence to challenge abuse and bringing them up as feminists.

‘If we are going to achieve a real-step change in tackling violence against women, we need our sons growing up as confident feminists too.’

She added that ‘violence and viciousness’ towards women have been tolerated for too long. If we are going to achieve a real-step change in tackling violence against women, we need our sons growing up as confident feminists too

Labour pointed to figures showing that 21 per cent of rapists and over a quarter of domestic violence perpetrators are under 24.

Ms Cooper added: 'So called "revenge porn" is growing making young lives a misery when an ex posts their half naked photos or stalks them online.'

She recalled one teacher describing how teenage girls face vile verbal abuse on a daily basis.

Girls are 'heckled if they dare to speak in class, their shirts forcibly undone, their skirts lifted and held by groups of boys'.

She added: 'It would be easy and, let’s be honest, more comfortable, to dismiss this as a one off. Or the inevitable, temporary, rite of teenage passage.

'After all, we all remember that hormonal mix of over-excited boys, irritated girls, and clumsy flirting that gets a bit out of hand.  'Sadly it’s rather more than that; it’s certainly not temporary, and the evidence shows it’s getting worse.'

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the  incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of  other countries.  The only real difference, however, is how much power they have.  In America, their power is limited by democracy.  To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already  very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges.  They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did:  None.  So look to the colleges to see  what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way.  It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH,   EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and  DISSECTING LEFTISM.   My Home Pages are here or   here or   here.  Email me (John Ray) here. 

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