Study: Gay
parents as good as straight ones

A Canadian study has found that same-sex parents are just as good, if not better, than opposite-sex parents.

The study, released by the Canadian Justice Department, was commissioned in 2003 by its then-Liberal government. The study focused primarily on lesbian couples.

The study, authored by Concordia University professor Paul Hastings, asserts that children raised by lesbian parents are as socially competent as children raised by heterosexual parents.

"A few studies suggest that children with two lesbian mothers may have marginally better social competence than children in traditional nuclear families, even fewer studies show the opposite, and most studies fail to find any differences," says the 74-page study.

Hastings, who only just gained permission to release the study, suggested that publication was restricted by the Conservative government that regained power in 2006, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

In December the Conservatives tried to challenge the constitutional definition of marriage, but the efforts were defeated by the House of Commons.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Canada since 2005.

The current government has insisted that the research represents findings of the author and "not those of the department." (Hassan Mirza, Gay.com/U.K.)