The American Psychology Association last week published a comprehensive study on whether having same sex parents affects child development. The conclusion: it does not.

The research, by Dr. Abbie Goldberg, differs from previous publications by conducting a full analysis of all previous research on the well being of children with gay parents. While other studies have summarized the prior research, Dr. Goldberg is the first to write a book-length review of it.

Not only that, but the study broadens the scope of research on gay families, as the Windy City Times reported yesterday:

Also included are topics rarely discussed in the research studies to date, such as: divorce/relationship dissolution in lesbian/gay-parent households; the perspectives of non-heterosexual children of lesbian/gay parents.

I think that this kind of research, combined with upcoming 2010 census numbers on same sex families, will make families with gay parents seem more normal and less threatening. This normalcy will help shape laws to accommodate these families.