This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The results reported in "Study: Salt Lake City has highest rate of gay parents in U.S." (Tribune, May 22) make sense.
Gays in Mormon Utah come out later than in more progressive areas because they first spend years in a struggle to deny their sexual nature. That means many were first in a "traditional marriage" with children before they finally acknowledged their inherent orientation.
Hence, some gays and lesbians brought the children of their first marriage with them into their second, marriage-like, same-sex pairing.
These new families with gay and lesbian parents aren't going away, and we as a pro-family culture should do all we can to help them rear their children. We might start helping them by giving them the same tax deduction and status for married couples as we do hetero couples. Or don't children of gay parents deserve that help?
David Fisher
Cottonwood Heights