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As many as 21 percent of homosexually parented children become gay themselves, according to several studies recently reviewed and validated by a California psychologist.

The article by Dr. Trayce L. Hansen reviews all available research on homosexually parented children and concludes that children raised by gay parents are between four and 10 times more likely to develop a “non-hetereosexual preference” than other children.

“There are a number of non-genetic mechanisms through which homosexuality could be transmitted from one generation to the next,” Hansen writes in the article entitled, “Pro-Homosexual Researchers Conceal Findings: Children Raised by Openly Homosexual Parents More Likely To Engage in Homosexuality.”

“Those mechanisms include role-modeling, social learning and differential reinforcement, as well as outright encouragement of non-heterosexuality by parents or others,” the article continues.

Not fitting in?

Those using the findings to oppose gay marriage argue that children raised by gay parents will have a more difficult time fitting in with the 97 percent of society that is not gay.

“Our perspective is really that kids need the influence of both a mother and a father and the research would bear that out,” said Dr. Bill Maier, a clinical psychologist with Colorado Springs-based evangelical group Focus on the Family.

Maier said research indicates that children of gay parents are more likely to engage in behavior that does not reflect their gender. He said boys from gay parents will have trouble identifying as a man and girls will have a difficult time identifying as a woman.

He added that research also indicates that girls raised by gay parents are more likely to be promiscuous and share multiple partners. Children of gay parents are also more likely to experiment with homosexual behavior, said Maier.

Disadvantage

Because children of gay parents lack the diversity of both a mother’s and a father’s parenting models, they are raised at a disadvantage, he said.

“Moms and dads parent differently … we’ve found through research that fathers tend to be more rule-based and stress justice and fairness and duty in their parenting, while mothers tend to be more relationship-based and stress sympathy, care and health,” Maier said. “It’s not that one is right or wrong, it’s just different.”

No comment

The Denver Daily News was unable to find anyone yesterday on the pro-gay marriage side to comment. The former executive director of the Referendum I campaign, Sean Duffy, declined to comment. Referendum I would have provided legal rights to domestic partnerships, but Colorado voters rejected it in 2006.

Joanne Kron, communications officer for the Denver-based gay rights organization the Gill Foundation, also declined to comment. She referred comment to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado. Calls and e-mails to Legal Director Melinda Barton were not returned. Executive Director Carlos Martinez declined to comment.

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