A recent study published in the Journal of Homosexuality offers new insights into the sexual orientation of young adults who were raised by lesbian mothers or gay fathers. The research reveals that while most of these individuals identify as heterosexual, they exhibit greater variability in sexual attraction compared to their peers from heterosexual families.
The researchers aimed to address persistent societal concerns and prejudices regarding the sexual orientation of children raised by same-sex parents. Despite numerous studies conducted since the 1970s, there has been a lack of systematic research focusing on young adults from these families.
Existing debates often question whether children of gay and lesbian parents are more likely to identify as homosexual, reflecting broader societal anxieties and prejudices. In their new study, researchers Mar González and Francisca López-Gaviño sought to provide comprehensive data by exploring multiple dimensions of sexual orientation, considering gender differences, and examining changes over time.
The study included 30 young adults in Spain, aged between 18 and 36 years, who had been raised by openly lesbian or gay parents. The sample consisted of 19 women and 11 men. Most participants were born into previous heterosexual unions, while a few were adopted or in foster care. To participate, individuals had to have lived with their lesbian or gay parent for at least two years while being aware of their sexual orientation, and they must have been part of an openly same-sex family before turning 16.
Gaining access to participants was challenging, given the specificity of the criteria. The researchers used various strategies, such as attending LGBT family meetings, reaching out through LGBT groups, specialist press, and bookshops, and utilizing the snowball sampling method. This approach involved asking participants to refer others who fit the study’s criteria. Most young adults were contacted through their parents, who invited them to participate in the study.
To assess sexual orientation, the researchers used the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid (KSOG), which requires participants to rate themselves on a seven-point scale across three dimensions: sexual attraction, sexual behavior, and sexual self-identification. Participants provided ratings for both their past experiences and their present state at the time of the interview.
At the time of the interview, a significant majority (87%) of participants reported having had sexual experiences only with people of the other sex. This pattern aligns closely with general population data, suggesting that the sexual behavior of children raised by same-sex parents does not differ drastically from those raised by heterosexual parents.
When it came to sexual attraction, the study found a bit more variability. Roughly 67% of participants reported being exclusively attracted to people of the other sex, and 20% reported being mostly attracted to people of the other sex. The remaining participants indicated varying degrees of same-sex attraction.
“While our results refute existing prejudices which hold that the children of lesbian mothers and gay fathers are forced to become homosexual themselves, they also reflect a heterogeneous situation and a certain degree of disparity or variance between the different dimensions of sexual orientation, as was expected,” the researchers wrote.
The dimension of sexual self-identification showed the greatest variability. Only 60% of participants identified as exclusively heterosexual, while the rest identified at different points along the spectrum, from mostly heterosexual to exclusively homosexual. This is a notable difference from the general population, where over 90% typically identify as exclusively heterosexual.
Men’s responses were predominantly polarized, with 91% identifying as exclusively heterosexual and 9% as exclusively homosexual. In contrast, women’s responses were more dispersed, with only 42% identifying as exclusively heterosexual. Women also reported greater fluidity in their sexual orientation over time compared to men.
“There are several ways in which the gender differences observed in this study, which are fairly similar to those reported in relation to the general population, can be explained. One is linked to differences in genital arousal, which is more ‘category-specific’ in men (meaning that it only occurs in response to the preferred sex) and more open in women, regardless of their true sexual preference,” the researchers explained.
But the study’s small sample size and the recruitment method, primarily through parents, might introduce biases and limit the generalizability of the findings. Future research should involve larger, more diverse samples and include longitudinal studies to track changes over time, the researchers said. Additionally, exploring the experiences of children from same-sex families in societies with different levels of acceptance toward homosexuality could provide further insights.
The study, “What about the Sexual Orientation of the Offspring of Lesbian and Gay Parents? A Multidimensional, Time and Gender-Based Answer,” was published June 27, 2022.
