Gay or straight, the sexual orientation of adoptive parents does not have an impact on the emotional development of their children, according to a new study.
“We found that sexual orientation of the adoptive parents was not a significant predictor of emotional problems,” said Paige Averett, an assistant professor of social work at East Carolina University.
Researchers questioned nearly 1,400 couples in the United States, including 155 gay and lesbian parents. They used information from Florida’s public child welfare system and data from gay and lesbian couples throughout the U.S. for the study.
“We must pay attention to the data indicating that gay and lesbian parents are as fit as heterosexual parents to adopt,” Averett said, “because hundreds of thousands of children are depending on us to act as informed advocates on their behalf.”
The American Civil Liberties Union has said that laws and adoption agency policies have created obstacles for gay and lesbian couple who want to adopt children. Florida is the only state that bans adoption by gays and lesbians in all circumstances.
