Gay and Lesbian Parents

One of my majors is Family Science. Recently, gay and lesbian couples have been becoming more prominent in the textbooks than ever before. One thing that my professors and the books keep repeating is that gay and lesbians make very suitable parents. In fact, their children tend to go outside of their gender roles. Females tend to pursue more “masculine” career such as executive and administration work. Males tend to be more sensitive and carry other feminine traits.
I think instead of fighting and not allowing gays and lesbians to adopt, we should instead focus on the importance of a strong family. Having a mother and a father doesn’t automatically put you in a strong family, there are many other characteristics that go into. It would be much healthier for a child to be put into a family with a same-sex couple than a family where there is abuse present.
The only thing the opposition, I feel, has going for them is their hold on “traditional families.” Though a respect this value, I do not agree with it. We are in a time where a “traditional family” almost does not exist. We are okay with single mothers and fathers adopting, something that is on the rise and something I’m completely for (when you are ready and don’t have a partner, why not?), but we won’t allow two people adopt a child and give them a home simply because they are of the same sex? I’m sorry, this seems silly to me.

Questions
Do you think that lack of traditional gender roles in the family would make a child not follow traditional gender roles, or do you think that society and the media would influence them as well?
Outside of same sex couple adopting, do you think single individuals should be allowed to adopt?