The same as the odds that children who have straight parents will grow up to identify as gay or lesbian. In other words, having gay or lesbian parents does not mean a child is more or less likely to be lesbian or gay.

This can be a very sensitive issue because the question is often exploited as a litmus test for the worthiness of LGBT parents. That is to say that some people think LGBT parents have “failed” if their kids turn out LGBT. Conversely, the same people think LGBT parents have redeemed themselves (but only a little) if their kids turn out straight. If you are a parent and are worried about your child’s sexual orientation, please relax. When they talk to you about it, let go of what the “litmus test” question means in terms of how you will be judged as a good or bad parent. Please give your kids the space you would have wanted to figure it out for yourself in your own way. To read more, go to the column I wrote about this topic.

For information for LGBT children of LGBT parents, contact Dan Cherubin at Second Generation. Dan is a gay son of a lesbian mother. He started Second Generation as a way to confirm that he was “not just a fluke.”