Prejudice of Children Towards Same-Sex Parents and Their Children in the Italian Context

Although same-sex marriage and parenting are legally recognized in numerous countries, same-sex couples and their children continue to face widespread discrimination. This study aimed to evaluate the attitude of children toward same-sex parents and their children. Participants were 115 Italian children (59 males and 56 females) aged from six to 11 years, who were simultaneously shown three drawings representing three families (each consisting of a child and two parents who could be heterosexual, lesbian, and gay male), telling them that another child had drawn them. To investigate children’s attitudes toward the three parental couples and the three children, 12 traits (six positive and six negative) were used. Moreover, participants were asked to choose which of the three children they would prefer as a playmate. Results showed that participants evaluated positively heterosexual parents and negatively gay male parents; the evaluation of lesbian parents was neutral. With regards to the evaluation of children, results showed that children of heterosexual parents were evaluated positively, while children of same-sex parents, particularly gay male parents, were evaluated negatively. Moreover, children prefer to play with a child with heterosexual parents. The results of this study seem to indicate that participants held discriminatory views against the children of same-sex couples in the drawings.