Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Home Research Topics Gender & LGBTQ LGBTQ Attitudes & Experiences

LGBTQ Attitudes & Experiences

2025 Survey of LGBTQ Americans

data essay

Same-Sex Parents Raising Kids

As part of our efforts to explore the experiences of LGBTQ adults and their families in the U.S., we conducted a series of interviews with 30 gay, lesbian and bisexual adults who are raising children with a same-sex spouse or partner.

Icon for promotion number 1

Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Fresh data delivered Saturday mornings

Thank you for subscribing!

All

LGBTQ Attitudes & Experiences

Publications

  • report

    An Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate

    Updated Nov. 21, 2008 In this article: The Debate Begins The Goodridge Case and Its Aftermath The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ignited a nationwide debate in late 2003 when it ruled that the state must allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Almost overnight, same-sex marriage became a major national issue, pitting religious and social […]

  • report

    Science in America: Religious Belief and Public Attitudes

    The United States is the most religious of the advanced industrial democracies. At the same time, American scientists are recognized to be leaders in many areas of scientific research and application. This combination of widespread religious commitment and leadership in science and technology greatly enlarges the potential for conflict between faith and science in the […]

  • report

    Same-Sex Marriage: Redefining Legal Unions Around the World

    In many countries around the globe, gay and lesbian couples are seeking the right to marry or enter into other legally recognized forms of domestic partnerships. The legal definition of marriage is in flux, particularly in the developed world.

  • report

    Four-in-Ten Americans Have Close Friends or Relatives Who are Gay

    In the past four decades, growing numbers of gays have come out of the closet and into the mainstream of American life. As a consequence, 4-in-10 Americans now report that some of their close friends or family members are gays or lesbians. Read full analysis at Pewresearch.org

  • report

    The Culture War and the Coming Election

    April 11, 2007 by David Masci, Senior Research Fellow, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life The 2008 presidential election is still more than a year-and-a-half away, but some issues, such as the war in Iraq and health care, have already begun to define the contest. Others will emerge in the months ahead to catch […]

  • transcript

    Same-Sex Marriage in California: Legal and Political Prospects

    Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles Special Report: The Same-Sex Marriage Debate An Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate The Constitutional Dimensions of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate A Stable Majority: Most Americans Still Oppose Same-Sex Marriage Additional Resources Map: State Policies on Same-Sex Marriage (Stateline.org) Religious Groups’ Official Positions on Same-Sex Marriage Same-Sex Marriage Candidate Comparison Same-Sex […]