20091001web

By Rachel SnydeR The Shorthorn staff There is no significant difference in adopted children raised by gay rather than straight parents, according to a study by Scott Ryan, School of Social Work dean, and three other social work educators. The study asked... More

By Rachel SnydeR The Shorthorn staff There is no significant difference in adopted children raised by gay rather than straight parents, according to a study by Scott Ryan, School of Social Work dean, and three other social work educators. The study asked 155 homosexual couples and 1,229 heterosexual couples about parent and child characteristics, family composition and dynamics, the child’s pre-adoptive history and current emotional and behavioral functioning. Josh Little, Gay-Straight Alliance UTA chapter president, hopes this study will help people see that gay and lesbian parents are no different than straight parents. “As a gay man, I eventually want to have kids and I obviously can’t have kids naturally so having people know that gays and lesbians can raise a kid just as well would make things easier for me,” Little said. Criminal justice junior Leo Villalobos said he is against gay adoptions because he doesn’t feel gay parents can properly raise and teach a child. Villalobos Less