I am writing to amplify on the article in the August 19 issue about the Board of Trustees' approving a position statement in support of the legal recognition of same-sex civil marriage. As chair of the APA Council on Minority Mental Health and Health Disparities, I participated in the process that led to the Board's action.
First, we must remember the historical context of APA's removing homosexuality as a mental disorder from DSM-II, as well as its approval of recent position statements supporting same-sex civil unions (2000) and adoption and co-parenting of children by same-sex couples (2002). Scientific evidence and the values of equity, parity, and nondiscrimination as they impact on mental health have informed these past APA actions, as well as the most recent one in July. In addition, APA has position statements on many topics where mental health issues interface with social issues, such as confidentiality, discrimination, violence, and reimbursement.
Second, the position statement explicitly addresses the legal recognition of same-sex civil marriage, not religious marriage. Civil marriage should be available to all persons regardless of sexual orientation based on the values of nondiscrimination and equity. APA recognizes the importance of a church/state separation that should be maintained to allow religions to continue their traditions and not be compelled to perform same-sex marriages if applicable. Canada and Spain have enacted laws supporting legal recognition of same-sex civil marriage in the past three months with this perspective.
Third, APA now joins the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Association of Social Workers in support of legal recognition of same-sex civil marriage. In fact, in 1997—eight years ago—the American Psychoanalytic Association passed the following resolution, which it reiterated in 2004: “Because marriage is a basic human right and an individual choice, RESOLVED, the State should not interfere with same-gender couples who choose to marry and share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities, and commitment of civil marriage.”
In addition, in 2004 the American Anthropological Association stated:“ The results of more than a century of anthropological research on households, kinship relationships, and families, across cultures and through time, provide no support whatsoever for the view that either civilization or viable social orders depend upon marriage as an exclusively heterosexual institution. Rather, anthropological research supports the conclusion that a vast array of family types, including families built upon same-sex partnerships, can contribute to stable and human societies.”
I believe that APA has taken a courageous position in its support of the legal recognition of same-sex civil marriage.
