Predictors of Attitudes toward Lesbian and Gay Parenting in an Ecuadorian Sample

Abstract

In the past few years, Ecuador has experienced legal changes toward the recognition of sexual minority rights. However, lesbian and gay (LG) individuals and couples still face legal obstacles to become parents and social barriers that place their families in disadvantage compared to their heterosexual counterparts. To date, it is not known whether the legal changes reflect society’s move toward a more progressive and accepting climate. This study analyzed the attitudes toward LG parenting in an Ecuadorian online-recruited sample. Three hundred thirty-eight (338) participants answered an online questionnaire about the negative effects and the benefits of having LG parents. The strongest belief among participants was that children of LG parents would be victimized because of their parents’ sexual orientation. Analyses indicated differences in attitudes based on age, sexual orientation, marital status, education level, as well as religiosity. Finally, regression models suggested that beliefs about the origins of sexual orientation and contact with LG people predicted attitude scores. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Keywords:

• Sexual prejudice
• lesbian and gay parented families
• gay and lesbian parents
• same-sex parents
• family diversity

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank César Parra for his technical assistance during data analyses; Dr. Olimpo José García Beltrán, Director of Research at the University of Ibagué and Dr. Tannya Lozada, Head of Research at Universidad de Las Américas, and Dr. Edgar Zúñiga Salazar, Professor at the School of Psychology of Universidad de Las Américas for their support. The international study received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The study in Ecuador was approved by the General Research Department from Universidad de Las Américas, Quito (Ecuador).

Disclosure statement

There was no conflict of interest identified during the conduction of this study.

Notes

1 A gender identity variable was created based on sex assigned at birth and self-identified gender. Participants indicating concordance between sex and gender were coded as cisgender, those who indicated discordance were coded as transgender, and those who identified their gender as other were coded as such.