Shannon Minter: Perry v. Schwarzenegger Proceedings, Day 5

[Butterfly]

Shannon Minter: Perry v. Schwarzenegger Proceedings, Day 5
Pam's House Blend
by:  Autumn Sandeen
Fri Jan 15, 2010 at 23:14:33 PM EST


http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/14850/shannon-minter-perry-v-schwarzenegger-proceedings-day-5


Today, in the final day of the first week of trial, we got to see more riveting, detailed testimony from the plaintiffs' expert witnesses, who have truly proven to be "experts" in the fullest sense of the word.  Photo of NCLR's Legal Director Shannon MinterWe also heard the moving personal story of a woman who has seen firsthand the incredible transformative power that the simple act of marrying can have.

A tremendous body of social science has been laid out in this trial so far, and it has shown the irrationality of discrimination against LGBT people and our families in a truly unprecedented way. This morning's first witness was Dr. Michael Lamb of Cambridge University. He is an expert in child and developmental psychology and has authored or edited more than 40 books and 500 articles on the subject. Dr. Lamb testified that there is substantial evidence showing that the children of same-sex couples would be better adjusted if their parents could marry, because children in general do better when their parents have adequate social support.