Effects of Same-Sex Parenting

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00823.x/full

This post was brought on by a comment made in class stating that the children of same-sex parents are more likely to experiment with their sexuality (having relations with the same sex).
I do not believe haveing a gay parent makes a child biologically more likely to engage in homosexual acts. I do believe having an accepting home environment permits for more exprimentation if one is uncertain.
The study I found refutes the statement made in class statement.

The report for this study starts out with the importance of studying the topic of the effects of same-sex parenting on the child and its recent popularity in the press, research the community, and medical profession.
This study examined associations among family type (same-sex vs. opposite-sex parents); family and relationship variables; and the psychosocial adjustment, school outcomes, and romantic attractions and behaviors of adolescents. Participants included 44 12- to 18-year-old adolescents parented by same-sex couples and 44 same-aged adolescents parented by opposite-sex couples, matched on demographic characteristics and drawn from a national sample.

They expected to find few differences in adjustment between youth living with parents who had same-sex versus opposite-sex partners. They did, however, expect to find associations between family and relationship variables and adolescent adjustment outcomes which were consistent with current literature findings.

Results:

Here is a direct quote from the specific findings of childrens romantic relationships:
"Analyses of adolescents' reports of romantic attractions and behaviors revealed no difference between the groups in the percentage of adolescents who reported ever having engaged in sexual intercourse (34% of adolescents with same-sex parents and 34% of those with opposite-sex parents). There was also no significant difference between the groups in the percentage of adolescents who had had a romantic relationship in the past 18 months (68% of adolescents with same-sex parents and 59% of those with opposite-sex parents, ns). Fewer than 10 adolescents reported same-sex attractions and same-sex romantic relationships in the past 18 months; therefore, under stipulations that permit use of these data, group comparisons are not presented. Reports of romantic relationships, attractions, and behaviors did not differ as a function of age or gender except that older adolescents were more likely than younger adolescents to report having had a romantic relationship in the past 18 months."

Other results:
Regardless of family type, adolescents were more likely to show favorable adjustment when they perceived more caring from adults and when parents described close relationships with them. Thus, as has been reported in studies of children with lesbian mothers (e.g., Chan et al., 1998), it was the qualities of adolescent–parent relationships rather than the structural features of families (same- vs. opposite-sex parents) that were significantly associated with adolescent adjustment.

An unexpected aspect of their results was the finding that adolescents' feelings of connectedness at school varied as a function of family type. Adolescents living with same-sex parents reported feeling more connected to school than did those living with opposite-sex parents.

Limitations of the study:
The study involved the use of data collected from both adolescents and their parents, but no observational data were available. Thus, we had no observational assessments of adolescents' actual interactions with parents, peers, or teachers, but relied instead on adolescents' and parents' reports about their interactions and relationships.