From here.
On National Public Radio's Morning Edition, reporter Jacqueline Froelich failed to challenge Arkansas Republican state Sen. Jim Holt's assertion that "there are thousands of studies, actually ... over 10,000" that show "the homosexual family or the environment is problematic for the child." Froelich did not address Holt's dubious figure of 10,000 studies, which would be possible only if a new study reaching that conclusion had been released every day for the past 27 years. Froelich also did not mention that numerous scientific studies show just the opposite of Holt's assertion.
Holt was asked to comment on the case. (As was Rita Sklar, the Arkansas ACLU Executive Director, who agreed with the court.)The court held that the Arkansas Child Welfare Agency Review Board had violated the constitutional separation of powers doctrine by exceeding the scope of its authority -- which is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of foster children -- when it banned gays and lesbians from becoming foster parents in 1997.
Holt's "10,000 studies" number is bogus, and indeed scholarship shows that he is wrong.
For example, a 2002 AAP Technical Report found that:
A growing body of scientific literature demonstrates that children who grow up with 1 or 2 gay and/or lesbian parents fare as well in emotional, cognitive, social, and sexual functioning as do children whose parents are heterosexual. Children's optimal development seems to be influenced more by the nature of the relationships and interactions within the family unit than by the particular structural form it takes.
In a July 2004 policy statement "oppos[ing] any discrimination based on sexual orientation in matters of adoption, child custody and visitation, foster care, and reproductive health services," the APA asserted that "results of research suggest that lesbian and gay parents are as likely as heterosexual parents to provide supportive and healthy environments for their children." Similarly, an October 2005 WebMD article reported that according to findings presented at the October 2005 American Academy of Pediatrics Conference and Exhibition, "[c]hildren growing up in same-sex parental households do not necessarily have differences in self-esteem, gender identity, or emotional problems from children growing up in heterosexual parent homes." In addition, a January 2005 New York Times article (subscription required) noted the assessment of Dr. Judith Stacey, a sociology professor at New York University, that "there is not a single legitimate scholar out there who argues that growing up with gay parents is somehow bad for children."