Abstract: Submission #62

Abstract The increased availability of choices for same-sex couples to become parents contributes to the growth in same-sex parenting. Although most children born to same-sex couples are the biological offspring of one of the parents, an increasing number are the product of donor insemination, surrogacy, foster care, and adoption. Adolescents with same-sex parents reported feeling more connected at school. Another study reported that children in gay and lesbian households are more likely to talk about emotionally difficult topics and are often more resilient, compassionate, and tolerant. There is still a dearth of literature that speaks to school learners in townships. This paper explores the perceptions and attitudes of primary school learners on same-sex parenting. This study draws on queer theories and analyses a subset of qualitative data with ten school learners.
Keywords: Same-sex, school learners, queer theory, sexuality, education.