A Mental Health Research Perspective on Marital Rights and Civil Marriage for Lesbians and Gay Men

The mental health of lesbians, gay men, and their families is central to arguments for marriage equality for same-sex couples. This paper examines three areas of research relevant to the inclusion of same-sex couples in the institution of civil marriage. First, recent studies have documented the negative mental health effects of discrimination encoded in marriage denial. Second, marital exclusion denies lesbians and gay men the psychosocial benefits of marriage as described in the general population. Third, research suggests no fundamental difference in the psychological health and attributes of homosexual compared with heterosexual couples or children of homosexual compared with heterosexual parents, thus raising the question of why lesbians, gay men, and their children should be treated differently by the law. This paper concludes with a discussion of limitations inherent in research as a tool for advancing public policy and reflects on the current importance of using research to link mental health and marital rights in sexual minority persons and their families.