CONTACT AND PARENTING INTENTIONS AND DESIRES 1 Differences in parenting intentions and desires as a function of sexual orientation: The role of contact with similar others

1 Differences in parenting intentions and desires as a function of sexual orientation: The role of contact with similar others Synopsis Objective. Parenthood is one of humanity's most ubiquitous and valued roles, but lesbian and gay individuals are much less likely than heterosexual peers to become parents or to report the desire to become parents. Further, gay men who report the desire to become parents are less likely than heterosexual peers to report the intention to do so. However, no previous studies have explored why these findings occur. Design and Results. In a large, web-based sample (N = 31,314), we replicated and extended findings that parenting intentions and desires vary as a function of sexual orientation. Associations between sexual orientation, on one hand, and parenting intentions and desires, on the other, remained even after controlling for relationship status, religiosity, political affiliation, and other key demographic factors. Internalized antigay stigma, whether assessed via implicit or explicit measures, did not account for the associations between sexual orientation and parenting intentions and desires. However, greater contact with gay people was associated with stronger parenting desires among lesbian and gay participants (n = 3,417) but not among heterosexual participants (n = 27,897). Conclusions. This study provides the first empirical evidence that social circumstances, aside from legal or logistic barriers to parenthood, may contribute to differences in parenting desires as a function of sexual identity.