Gay Parents Research Articles

Same-sex families in Serbia in times of COVID-19

This paper presents a qualitative research on the experiences of same-sex families in Serbia since the beginning of the kovid-19 epidemic. In Serbia, same-sex families are not legally recognized, while the law on same-sex unions has not yet been adopted. The first part of the paper focuses on the theoretical epistemological assumptions of the research of same-sex families and LGBTQ+ parenting, while the second part offers an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) through three case studies. In this paper, I analyze the experiences related to the family life of three women during and after the pandemic period, focusing on the wide range of meanings that this brings with it. The research strives to present the authentic meanings of the lesbian parents as closely as possible, taking into account the differences in the perspectives and interpretations of the respondents. The theoretical and epistemological framework is a phenomenological approach, and the aim of the paper is not only to analyze and describe the experiences and meanings that the respondents had during the pandemic period, but connecting these experiences with the wider socio-cultural and political context, in order to determine how the context and personal stories are connected.

The Problem of Same-Gender Marriages as One of the Many Challenges of a Developing Society to Modern Culture (A Culturological Epilogue)

This paper is an afterword to the articles by legal scholars M. A. Krasnov and A. P. Semitko published in this volume of Koinon. Based on the materials from these works, the author suggests a culturological vision of same-sex marriage problem. In his view, the main controversy of contemporary man’s life is the controversy between the past and the today-emerging future originated from large-scale comprehensive radical changes in the sociocultural world; between the old experience embedded in the traditions, norms, mental matrices, habits of culture and a new, currently gained experience that differs radically from the past and that forms new notions, values, modes of activities and human relationships. This new experience brings about yet-unseen perspectives for society and the individual but it also gives birth to a novel, yet-unutilized complexity, uncertainty of a future, often incomprehensible and even unpredictable risks and threats. The radical revolution of today’s mankind, thus, creates new complex challenges to society, man, culture on a daily basis. The problem of same-sex marriages in the given context appears to be one of the challenges generated by an accelerated evolution and the contradiction between the past and the future produced by it. An essential link of the paper’s concept is the reporting of an ambivalent significance of the cultural past generated by the accelerated development. On the one hand, it is perceived and works as inconsistent and therefore unnecessary for the present and the future, as an obstacle to the development of society and the individual. On the other, in the context of uncertain prospects and risks of largely unpredictable radical evolution, it acquires a new value as a reservoir of the life-tested experience, as an essential factor of society’s self-preservation in its anthropological and social specificity, in its regular, proven-in-practice relations with nature. From this point of view, the author treats a moderately conservative stance of M.A. Krasnov whose appeal to the Judeo-Christian moral origins of law, and, based on this, a critical attitude to same-gender marriage calls for a calm, balanced analysis of their possible consequences that are currently unclear, as worthy of careful consideration and useful in finding the best solution to the complex problem of same-sex marriages. Responding to this implicit call of Krasnov and, on the other hand, to the right antithesis of A.P. Semitko about the historical changeability of moral foundations of law, the author defines the most problematic zone of same-sex families: the socialization of children which, throughout all the preceding history, has been implemented by different-sex couples whose specific features and distinctions have largely determined the reproduction of the fundamental anthropological specificity of mankind and human race. That is why the emergence of same-sex parents cannot help being anthropologically essential. But there is a lack of reliable information about how exactly it is. Eventually, the author identifies three most significant aspects of the challenge posed by the problem under consideration: the challenge that requires thorough, comprehensive analysis of the experience obtained by same– gender families in the socialization of children; the challenge that requires joint efforts of proponents of different views and approaches to the problem and genuine dialogue between them, civilized discussion; the challenge that requires practical culture-making: finding and implementing a way to optimally solve the problem in a harmonious unity of the interests of individuals and society.

LGBTQ youth mental health during COVID-19: unmet needs in public health and policy

LGBTQ youth mental health during COVID-19: unmet needs in public health and policy

Same Sex Parenthood

Abstract With respect to same-sex parenting, we are obliged to take a renewed look at the relevance of the theory of the Oedipus complex in its « simple » form, just as Freud himself found it necessary to do (Freud 1923b). We could argue that the psychical flexibility that is typical of human beings helps same-sex parents to implement in their children a fantasy scenario that supports the structuring of their psychical organization.

Correction to: Heterosexual University Students’ Attitudes Toward Same-sex Couples and Parents Across Seven European Countries

Correction to: Heterosexual University Students’ Attitudes Toward Same-sex Couples and Parents Across Seven European Countries

The neural correlates of grandmaternal caregiving.

In many societies, grandmothers are important caregivers, and grandmaternal investment is often associated with improved grandchild well-being. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the first study to examine grandmaternal brain function. We recruited 50 grandmothers with at least one biological grandchild between 3 and 12 years old. Brain function was measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging as grandmothers viewed pictures of their grandchild, an unknown child, the same-sex parent of the grandchild, and an unknown adult. Grandmothers also completed questionnaires to measure their degree of involvement with and attachment to their grandchild. After controlling for age and familiarity of stimuli, viewing grandchild pictures activated areas involved with emotional empathy (insula and secondary somatosensory cortex) and movement (motor cortex and supplementary motor area). Grandmothers who more strongly activated areas involved with cognitive empathy (temporo-parietal junction and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex) when viewing pictures of the grandchild desired greater involvement in caring for the grandchild. Finally, compared with results from an earlier study of fathers, grandmothers more strongly activated regions involved with emotional empathy (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula and secondary somatosensory cortex), and motivation (nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum and caudate nucleus). All in all, our findings suggest that emotional empathy may be a key component of grandmaternal responses to their grandchildren.

We are Family: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study of an HIV Prevention Intervention With the House Ball and Gay Family Communities.

Background:Black and Latinx sexual minority youth are disproportionately affected by HIV. The House Ball and gay family communities encompass sexual and ethnic minority youth who form chosen families that promote protective HIV-related health behaviors. We conducted a small-scale trial of the We Are Family intervention, leveraging these existing social dynamics to address HIV.Methods:From September 2018 to September 2019, we enrolled N = 118 for baseline and 6-month follow-up assessments. Eligible participants were 18 years or older, San Francisco Bay Area residents, members of a house or gay family or ball attendees in the past year, smartphone users, and sexually active. The intervention included one 2-hour in-person group session, community-level events, a mobile health app, and a dedicated service provider.Results:Ninety-seven percent of our participants were people of color, 94% were retained through follow-up. 73% attended at least 1 group session, 100% used the mobile health app, and 56% attended a community-level event. Modest changes were observed baseline to follow-up: among all participants, any condomless anal intercourse past 3 months (74.6%–66.7%, P = 0.064); among HIV-negative participants (N = 82) HIV testing past 6 months (80.7%–87.2%, P = 0.166); among HIV-positive participants (N = 34) receiving HIV primary care past 6 months (64.5%–78.8%, P = 0.139), and adherent to ART past 30 days (22.6%–28.1%, P = 0.712). 86% would be willing to refer a friend to the app, and 65% found the app to be personally relevant.Conclusions:We Are Family reaches and retains its target population, is feasible, acceptable, and shows promise for improving HIV-related health behavior.

Queer in Translation: Sexual Politics under Neoliberal IslamLGBTI Rights in Turkey: Sexuality and the State in the Middle East

Queer in Translation: Sexual Politics under Neoliberal IslamLGBTI Rights in Turkey: Sexuality and the State in the Middle East

ATTITUDES TOWARDS SAME-SEX PARTNERSHIP: A SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN SPLIT (CROATIA)

One of the current dilemmas of modern society is how to look at homosexuals, same-sex partners, forming same-sex partnerships, and raising children in such communities. Homosexuals are classified as sexual minorities and are often excluded from society, which is not new because members of sexual minorities have long been accompanied by numerous persecutions and repressions. This paper aims to examine the attitudes of young people towards homosexuality and same-sex partnership. The paper presents the results of the research conducted in 2019 using a survey method on a sample of 303 respondents aged 15 to 35 years. The results show that most young people do not consider homosexuality to be a disease and approach LGBT people in the same way as the rest of society, not paying attention to someone's sexual orientation. Respondents are predominantly open to the possibility of marriage between same-sex partners while they to a lesser extent agree with the adoption and upbringing of children by same-sex partners. They believe that there is a difference in the upbringing of children raised by same-sex partners from children raised by heterosexual partners, which can be justified by the discrimination and violence to which children of same-sex partners are exposed to. Also, young people think that homosexual parents can be good parents and provide their children with everything they need and that it is better for children to grow up in same-sex families than in homes for abandoned children. Although they state that such communities are almost equal to heterosexual communities, they are aware of their exposure to social exclusion.

Becoming a birth mother in the context of a planned same-sex family: ‘As amazing as it is, it’s kind of a tough road to navigate’

ABSTRACT This qualitative study explored how ten birth mothers in same-sex relationships in Ireland experienced becoming a mother. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis drew on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to identify two superordinate themes and related subordinate themes. The first superordinate theme, ‘Negotiating the joy and the strain’ encapsulated the dichotomy of positive and negative experiences mothers encounter in their role. Two subordinate themes, ‘Embracing motherly connection’ and ‘Grappling with motherhood expectations’ captured the positive experiences of attachment with their child and the challenges entailed in being in the ‘stereotypical’ role of the birth mother. The second superordinate theme, ‘Building a united front’ represented the experiences within a couple pertinent to an LGBQ+ family in a heteronormative context. Two subordinate themes, ‘Creating a shared motherhood’ and ‘Uniting as a family in an insecure system’ highlighted how the couple created strength and empowerment within their relationship and family. The findings emphasize the internal and relational processes that impact on the identity formation, couple relationships, and family dynamics of birth mothers becoming a mother in a same-sex relationship. Implications and recommendations for practice and future research are discussed.

Invisible Stories: A Phenomenological Study of Bi and Trans Parent Experiences Within Elementary Schools in the Southwestern United States

ABSTRACT Heteronormativity, family hegemony, and gender biases in K-12 education threaten child safety, parental dignity, and identity among queer families. While prior research examined the experiences of queer parents—specifically those of lesbian and gay parents—empirical attention to school-related experiences of trans and bi parents is lacking. Hence, this phenomenological study focuses on the PK-12 school-related experiences of bi and trans parents. Using queer theory as a theoretical framework, we review relevant literature on family hegemony, gender biases, and heteronormativity within school settings and its impact on children with queer families. Then, we discuss the methods and analysis used to understand the experiences of bi and trans parent participants. Analysis revealed four themes: (a) concern for the child; (b) value for diversity; (c) heteronormative nature of schools; and (d) importance of inclusivity. Finally, we provide recommendations on ways school personnel can better support trans and bi parents and their children.

Gay Israeli Fathers: Reframing Societal Views on Surrogacy

The present study aims to explore gay Israeli fathers’ responses and resistance to societal criticism on their decision to become parents through transnational surrogacy. The authors interviewed 39 Israeli gay men who became parents via transnational gestational surrogacy using in-depth, semistructured interviews. Analysis of the interviews suggest that the gay fathers responded to societal perceptions on their choice of surrogacy, which they interpreted as heterosexist and hostile, by relating them to Israeli dominant ideologies and constructing a counter discourse that frames surrogacy as an intimate process fostering gender and parental change. Yet, while the participants portray surrogacy as a catalyst for social change, their accounts are embedded within an Israeli context defined by pronatalist and neoliberal ideologies, showing how accounts of change are intertwined within hegemonic ideologies.

ADOPTION AND RACIAL/CULTURAL SOCIALIZATION IN DIVERSE ADOPTIVE FAMILIES: ASSOCIATIONS WITH DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, ACADEMIC OUTCOMES, AND PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS

As families in the United States (U.S.) are increasingly diverse in race and family structure, it is essential to understand family socialization around identity and possible associations with family relationships and child development. In this study, we investigated adoption communicative openness (i.e., how parents talk about adoption) and racial/cultural socialization among 96 adoptive families (46% completed transracial adoption) with lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parents and school-age children (Mage = 8 years) who lived across the U.S. We found that these practices (described by parents) were associated with children’s reports of parent-child relationships and children’s teachers reports of their academic functioning. We discuss the importance of considering distinct forms of identity socialization practices, as reported by different informants, among adoptive families diverse in race and parental sexual orientation, and as related to associations with individual outcomes and family relationships. We describe how our results could inform future research, policy, and practice.

Culture-Specific Form of Stress Based on Sexual Orientation Among Childless Lesbian and Gay Individuals in China: Perceived Difficulties of Future Parenthood.

China's long historical and cultural traditions that overemphasize the continuity of the family bloodline have a profound impact on the desire to become parents. Indeed, many Chinese lesbian and gay (LG) individuals want to become parents, despite same-sex parenting being illegal in mainland China. Faced with a conflict between their sexual orientation and desire for parenthood, childless LG individuals in China experience additional stress. However, no empirical study has examined such stress, which has been termed perceived difficulties of future parenthood. The present study aimed to explore the influence of perceived difficulties of future parenthood on mental health and the moderating effect of parenting desire on the relationship between them among 737 childless Chinese LG individuals (216 lesbian women and 521 gay men). A new measure was developed consisting of four dimensions: restricted pathways, social discrimination, uncertain affective ties, and parental opposition. As predicted, perceived difficulties of future parenthood were associated with poorer mental health in the sample. However, the interaction effects between parenting desire and perceived difficulties of future parenthood on mental health were not significant. These findings highlight common existing perceived difficulties about future parenthood in childless LG individuals in China and their negative effects on mental health.

Cultural context matters: Testing the minority stress model among Chinese sexual minority men.

Minority stress theory (e.g., Meyer, 2003b), a model for understanding mental health disparities affecting sexual minorities, has primarily been tested in Western samples yet has not been carefully applied to the experiences of sexual minorities in a global context, including in East Asian countries. Combining minority stress theory with considerations of Chinese culture, the current study tested the associations among norm conformity, distal minority stressor (enacted stigma), proximal minority stressors (sexual identity concerns and concealment), lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) family support, and psychological distress among Chinese sexual minority men (n = 748). Structural equation modeling showed that sexual identity concerns mediated the associations of norm conformity, enacted stigma, and lower family support with concealment. Psychological distress was associated with enacted stigma and lower family support, but not with proximal stressors (sexual identity concerns and concealment). Alternative model testing found sexual identity acceptance concerns predicted psychological distress and mediated the associations of norm conformity and LGB family support with distress. Findings provide partial support for the minority stress model in a Chinese context and suggest the importance of incorporating cultural considerations into minority stress conceptualizations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Intentional Kinship through Caring Relationships, Heritage, and Identity: Adoptive Parents’ Inclusion of Non-Biological and Non-Affinal Relationships on Family Maps

Structural open adoption has been beneficial to adoptees in integrating their birth heritage and identity. Adoptive parents also may sometimes seek out others who are neither related biologically nor through partnership to support their child in developing an integrated sense of identity. To what extent do these intentional kinship relationships become incorporated within the adoptive family network and how do adoptive parents view their role in their child’s life? Qualitative data on family inclusion of non-biological and non-affinal kin are reported from interviews with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual adoptive parents (n = 25 families). Analyses of verbal and visual data from family map drawing interviews indicated that adoptive parents from the different types of families similarly included intentional kin in their conceptualization of their child’s family. Adopted children’s foster carers, family friends, other adoptive families, and other children and adults were specifically included on family maps to facilitate children’s knowledge of different aspects of their birth heritage and adoption story. The implications of open adoption policy therefore move beyond considerations of only birth family contact. In practice, open adoption procedures convey a broad message to families that appear to widen adoptive parents’ conceptualization of kinship.

Homophobie intériorisée, homoparentalité et développement de l’enfant : une revue systématique de la littérature

In France, more than three million people claim to be homosexual or bisexual and 200,000 to 300,000 children would have a homosexual parent(s). Same-sex parenting is at the centre of many sociopolitical debates. Over the last few decades, there has been an increase in scientific research in this area. This systematic review of the literature has two main objectives: 1) to identify the effects of internalized homophobia on mental health and social adjustment of homosexual parents; 2) to identify the effects of internalized homophobia on psychological and social development of children with a homosexual parent(s). The research that was performed on a total of 87,840 scientific publications on homoparentality, retrieved from computerized scientific databases: SciELO, PubMed, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, Medline, ProQuest and Web of Science. In this study, 79 empirical and experimental studies were selected that were published between 1971 and 2020. The analysis of data shows that internalized homophobia causes psychological disturbances in gay parents and their children. Parents’ sexual orientation does not appear to have negative effects on the child's cognitive and emotional development or on their sexual orientation. The internalization of homophobia is an obstacle to social adjustment and the perceived health of homosexual families. Further studies in this area are required for better identification of factors that promote the internalization of homophobia.

Revisiting the dominant coming out discourses in China’s LGBT activism and research: Lesbians’ chugui experiences within the family

This article, by illustrating coming-out stories of lesbians and their families, inspired by and extending Amy Brainer’s theorization of LGBT family of origin relationships based on her studies in Taiwan, critically revisits the dominant coming-out discourses in the LGBT activism and research in contemporary mainland China. I first argue that, although the belief that the Western-rooted idea of coming out and Chinese family traditions are incompatible is influential within China’s LGBT activist circles, what is seldom recognized is that “chugui”, the Chinese translation of “coming out”, has already become a local term. However, grassroots but creative definitions of “chugui”, such as “to cultivate a better parent-child relationship”, is rejected by LGBT activist elites. I then point out an imbalance in China’s LGBT research that mainly pays attention to strategies of not coming out to parents, which actually underestimates parents’ agency and even otherizes parents in the name of “filial piety”. Rather, the emerging liberalistic ideal of family relationships, especially mother-daughter relationships, enables coming-out practices to become intersubjective journeys for both LGBT children and their parents to rethink gender and sexuality. Finally, I criticize the narrowly defined “family”, or “home”, in China’s dominant coming-out discourses, which disproportionately focuses on one’s family of origin and presumes it as a heteronormative fortress. I call for studies that recognize queer empathy and solidarity in a family of origin and connects one’s experiences in her family of origin with her later life in chosen families, which may be the family of origin of her child(ren).

P–508 The relational self in fertility decision-making: Chinese lesbians exploring donor conception and biological ties

Abstract Study question How does the cultural importance attached to biological family ties shape Chinese lesbians’ decision-making processes regarding whether and how to have children? Summary answer The cultural significance of biological ties shapes Chinese lesbians’ fertility decisions, including those regarding conception methods, who will get pregnant, and whose sperm to use. What is known already Previous research has shown that normative expectations towards opposite-sex marriage and biological parenthood impose significant psychological burden on lesbians in China, where same-sex couples are not entitled to the rights to partnership/marriage, assisted reproductive technology (ART), and parenthood. Despite the legal barriers, online discussions on same-sex parenthood and commercial consultation services targeted at same-sex couples who want to travel overseas to use ART have emerged in recent years. While more lesbians have become parents of donor conceived children in Western developed countries, little is known about Chinese lesbians’ reproductive experiences in the context of increasing reproductive transactions that transgress borders. Study design, size, duration In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 Chinese lesbians between July 2017 and June 2018 in Beijing, China. To better understand the context and social and clinical implications of global ART services for Chinese society, I also carried out participant observation by attending informal gatherings organised by the local lesbian community and public events targeted at (same-sex) individuals and couples who want to travel overseas to use ART and producing fieldnotes after the events. Participants/materials, setting, methods Participants were aged between 25 to 45. The majority were in their thirties. Each interview took around 2 hours and was audio-recorded and transcribed. The interview guide covered questions about their family beliefs, views on and/or experiences of donor conception, and perceived and actual difficulties in pursuing motherhood. With the assistance of NVivo (a qualitative data analysis software), I carried out thematic analysis of the interviews and fieldnotes to identify common patterns across the dataset. Main results and the role of chance Participants shared a belief that being biologically connected with their (prospective) children was, to varying extents, important to their families. They were at different stages of fertility decision-making, ranging from achieved motherhood (8 participants), actively planning to pursue motherhood (9), hesitation in taking action (11), and a lack of interest in or hope of becoming a mother (7). Almost all participants expressed that they did not prefer adoption and that they were reluctant to involve known sperm donors, who were considered a threat to their parental status. Rather, they were inclined to seek ART overseas in order to create their desired biological ties in a clinical setting. Issues including donor screening, desire for family resemblances, the status of biological and social mothers, and plans to purchase sperms from the same donor to conceive “siblings” were discussed in the interviews. It is evident that when deciding on whether to have a child and how to involve any third parties, participants tended to embrace the relational self and carefully balance individuals desires with familial and social expectations. The felt need to legitimise their relationships with donor conceived children imposes psychological burden on lesbian intended parents and discourages many from pursuing motherhood. Limitations, reasons for caution The findings of this qualitative study are not intended to be generalised to the whole lesbian population in China. Given the hidden nature of this population, my research, despite its small sample size, represents a significant step forward and calls for more quantitative and qualitative studies on lesbians’ fertility health. Wider implications of the findings: This study shows that lesbians’ journeys to donor conception require not only medical and legal support but also psychosocial care that attends to one’s perceived importance of biological ties and family beliefs. It sensitises healthcare professionals to the specific fertility-related psychosocial needs and concerns among lesbians in a family-centred context. Trial registration number Not applicable

Lesbian and Gay Parents, Heterosexual Kinship, and Queer Dreams: Making Families in Twenty-First Century Taiwan

Abstract This article analyzes ways that legal and social understandings of kinship intersect for Taiwanese queer parents and prospective parents. Parents in this research experience varying degrees of legal and cultural intelligibility within the existing household registration system and the familial contexts in which they reside and carry out their daily lives. Many are rearing children in multigenerational, extended family households and are juggling a variety of gendered family roles and responsibilities that shape their parenting practices. Their experiences highlight the limits of rights discourses that treat marriage and parenthood as largely class- and gender-neutral institutions and presuppose a nuclear family model. Such uncritical approaches to marriage and parenthood leave the normative power of these systems intact even as they provisionally open to greater numbers of people. The article foregrounds pathways to parenthood and struggles for legal recognition among queers in a variety of family arrangements, including those that do not fit within the conventional representation of a cohabiting and marriage-desiring same-sex couple with children.