Lesbian and gay parenting is still controversial and same- sex parents are often subjected to prejudices founded on the belief that parental sexual orientation exposes children to various negative outcomes. On the basis of this concern, a number of studies have compared the developmental outcomes of children with lesbian and gay parents with those of children with heterosexual parents. Both personal and social outcomes have been examined: sexual identity, psychological adjustment and quality of the relationships with peers. This paper presents a summary of the studies on the developmental outcomes of children raised by same- sex parents so as to compare the common beliefs on lesbian and gay parenting with the empirical findings of psychological research. The review shows that the common stereotypical negative beliefs about children raised by lesbian and gay parents have no empirical foundation.

--

Lesbian and gay parenting,Developmental outcomes,Sexual identity,Psychological adjustment,Social functioning