Lesbian and Gay Parents and their Children: A Social Science Perspective

Abstract

At the current moment in history, the extent to which relationships among lesbian and gay parents and their children are recognized in law or respected in practice is in tremendous flux. For many years, the family relationships of lesbian and gay parents and their children were not legally recognized in most parts of the United States, or in most countries of the world. Today, these relationships are recognized in some jurisdictions, and the matter is under active debate in others. With regard to the social and legal status of lesbian and gay relationships, we are living in a time of tremendous and rapid change. In view of the rapidly shifting legal and policy environments, my aims in this chapter are threefold. First, I hope to summarize the current status of legal and policy issues as well as conceptual and theoretical issues relevant to lesbian and gay parents and their children in the United States today. Second, I hope to provide an overview of research evidence about these families, with special emphasis on the development of children living within them. This overview will emphasize work I have undertaken in this area with colleagues and students over the last 15 years, but will also seek to place this work in the context of related research. Finally, I hope to summarize the implications of research findings for both theoretical concerns relevant to our conceptualizations of human socialization, and for practical concerns relevant to law and family policy. Current Contexts of Sexual Minority Family Lives Lesbian and gay parents and their children in the United States today are the subjects of considerable controversy. Thus, an overview of the legal and policy contexts in which these families live in the United States today will be a useful tool for understanding their situations. In this section, we consider very briefly the legal status of lesbian and gay parents and their children, with regard to legal recognition of couple relationships, child custody and visitation, adoption and foster care.