Whose interests are advanced by LGBT bioethics?

Abstract

Summary Before there is sexual orientation there is sex. And lesbians, as a class of women have been right to point out that men — gay and straight — still benefit from a patriarchal society. Lesbians remain more vulnerable to misogyny, underemployment, discrimination, sexism, and a lack of social representation. Sexual orientation cannot be separated from patriarchy, privilege, and dominance. It is precisely these differences which Doris Leibetseder has so incisively pointed out. These inequalities are compounded when speaking of medical reproduction. Theorists writing about the biological children of gay people — as a blanket term for both gay men and lesbian women — often gloss over biological facts. It is sloppy conceptual work to place gay men and gay women together when discussing LGBT bioethics , yet this is often done for expediency. This paper will explore medical reproduction as a case study in LGBT bioethics emphasizing that the homosexual experience — physically, socially, economically, emotionally, and politically — is not homogenous. Bioethicists must clearly define whose interests are at stake when advancing LGBT bioethics and ensure that lesbians, and other queer women, are not disadvantaged.