Does same-sex marriage affect children

There are two questions here: how does same-sex parenting affect children, and how does marriage affect children. To deal with the second question first, it's largely a matter of what legal rights and responsibilities parents and children have toward each other. (For example, the consequences of divorce are very different from the consequences of the "break up" of an unmarried couple.) As a general rule, legal issues are simpler if the couple is married. (Another example: the authority to authorize medical treatment in an emergency.)

I don't think anyone seriously questions the assertion that it's easier to raise a child if you have another adult around. It really does "take a village" to raise a child. But there's no evidence that heterosexual couples are any more effective than same-sex couples at raising children.

Children raised in same-sex households (married or not) may face prejudice in school and other social situations. Like it or not, same-sex couples will have the additional burden of helping their children deal with this challenge.

Of course, children do need "role models." But models of culturally acceptable male and female behaviors are all around us. Parents are responsible for helping their children select appropriate alternatives.