Martin Crew, director of Barnardo’s Scotland, said good parenting was not linked to sexual orientation or whether a couple are married but to providing “emotional security and being a good role model”.

Research conducted by Ipsos Mori on behalf of the Equality Network, LGBT Youth Scotland and the Scottish Youth Parliament found 64% of people supported same-sex marriage, although 26% opposed same-sex marriage in places of worship.

However, the Catholic Church, the Church of Scotland, the Council of Glasgow Imams and the Episcopalian Church have registered objections to the legislation, arguing that marriage should be only between a man and a woman. The Humanists, the Unitarians, the United Reformed Church and the Quakers are among the groups who have no objection.

Mr Crew said he supports an equal right to marriage because it removed “yet another unhelpful distinction” between straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families.

However, he said that as part of the debate, opponents of gay marriage seemed to suggest a marriage between a man and a woman automatically made for the “optimal situation” to raise children.

He added: “However, the reality is that most children in Scotland are not now born to married couples. To insist that being married and heterosexual is best does a great disservice to the large numbers of parents doing a great job of raising their children in loving, stable, but varied, circumstances.”

The Barnardo’s Scotland director said: “Raising children is about providing emotional security and being a good role model. It is about encouraging good communication and challenging bad behaviour. Children need these things whether their parents are gay or straight, married or unmarried, lone parents or couples.”

Martin Williams
Senior News Reporter

-full post at  Herald Scotland