Eureka! Institutional Repository

Homosexuality and the regulation of social relations and legal issues concerning this group of people are of great concern to society today, both at a local and an international level. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the attitudes and opinions of the educational community of Central Macedonia regarding the civil union, the relationship model (parents & children) that develops around these issues as well as the investigation of the potential acceptance for adoption from gay couples. The research involved 200 teachers (secondary school teachers) from a specific geographical area (Central Macedonia). Teachers were asked to complete the Scale Beliefs questionnaires about Children's Adjustment on Same-Sex Families by Frias-Navarro and Monterde-i-Bort (2013) and the Attitudes toward same-sex marriage scale by Pearl and Galupo (2007)so as to examine their attitudes towards the civil union and the adoption of children by same-sex couples. Statistical analysis showed that teachers seem to have reservations about whether a child should grow up with gay parents as they believe they may face problems in the form of social pressure and rules while they consider it possible for children from gay families to develop problemsof psychological adjustment or sexual orientation. In addition, there was a positive attitude of teachers towards the right of gay couples to have their relationship recognised through the civil union. In essence, the findings show that teachers are in favour of the civil union but against the adoption of children by gay couples.