Evidence suggests that same-sex parenting is already a reality in Westernised nations and has little or no bearing on the sexual orientation of children. Despite the range of attitudes and assumptions about same-sex parenting, consensus over the potential negative developmental impact on children raised by same-sex parents remained evident. At times, participants attempted to adjust their primary lens and adopt different views that initially suggested ambivalence and sometimes contradictory positions. Based on the narratives provided, this lens comprised hetero-normative, homophobic or heterosexist assumptions and coloured the way in which participants perceived aspects of the concept of gay couples parenting children. We conceptualised participants' perceptions as one primary lens through which gay parenting is viewed. In this study we explored the attitudes and beliefs of nine heterosexual adults towards gay male and female couples parenting children.