What is the general opinion on same-sex parenting in the UK?

I was recently on my way to school one morning when the topic of conversation in the school taxi turned to same-sex parenting. One boy offered that he doesn’t think gay couples should be allowed to adopt and before I knew it, everyone- other than me- were discussing how wrong it is for a child to grow up with homosexual parents. I was completely and utterly astounded that the people I’m around almost every day could even possibly think like that. It startled me to think that even though same-sex adoption has been legal since 2002 in the UK, so many people are still so strongly against it. The fact that people of the same generation as me are so impressionable to the preconceptions of their parents without having an open mind to form an opinion for themselves based on the facts, perplexes me.

First of all, equality is a thing that surely everyone wants for our world. We’ve come so far in terms of condemning discrimination against race, gender, religion, and many other things, sexuality included, but there are still lots of people unwilling to change their views on same-sex relationships and the rights that they should have. Heterosexual and homosexual couples should have the same legal rights to adopt because otherwise, it is discrimination and prejudice towards same-sex couples based on homophobia. If people of all genders should be equal, people of all sexualities should be equal. If people of all races should be equal, people of all sexualities should be equal. If people of all religions and beliefs should be equal, then (you guessed it) people of all sexualities should be equal. A survey found that 56% of people asked supported same-sex marriage, but only 48% supported same-sex adoption. So why is it okay for heterosexual couples to adopt but considered wrong for homosexual couples to adopt?