Lesbian Parents Research Articles

The Good and the Bad: Lesbian Parents’ Experiences of Australian Early Childhood Settings and Their Suggestions for Working Effectively with Families

ABSTRACTThere have been few attempts to capture the experiences of lesbian-parented families in Australian early childhood settings. This study explored the experiences of such families since the implementation of the first national Early Years Learning Framework in 2009 by way of an online survey and follow-up interviews that were analyzed taking a queer theory approach. Participants shared their perspectives on positive and negative experiences concerning their family structure and offered suggestions for educators working with lesbian-parented families. These insights can inform educators’ pedagogical decisions in ways that challenge heteronormativity’s dominance in early childhood settings, affirm lesbian-parented families, and foster an understanding of diversity in all children.

Validation of the Beliefs about Children’s Adjustment in Same-Sex Families Scale in Italian University Students

ABSTRACT Assessing attitudes toward same-sex parenting has important implications for both intervention and prevention programs designed to foster the tolerance and normality of sexual and family diversity. Few empirically validated measures of rejection of same-sex parenting have been developed. The current study examined the psychometric properties of an Italian translation of the Beliefs about Children’s Adjustment in Same-Sex Families Scale, a 14-item scale distributed in two subscales that measure direct and subtle rejection toward same-sex parenting, for its use in assessing heterosexual people’s attitudes toward same-sex parents in Italy. The sample consisted of 344 Italian heterosexual university students (113 men) with a mean age of 20.48 years (SD = 1.60). The results showed that the scale has a good factor structure (via confirmatory factor analysis) and satisfactory reliability and acceptable criterion-related validity. Therefore, the BCASSFS can be used to measure opposition toward gay and lesbian parenting in the Italian context.

The last vial. What it means to (aspiring) parents to use the same sperm donor for siblings

Introduction: A lot of attention has been given to the quest of parents, children and donors to find donor siblings (= half siblings who share the same donor gametes but who are born in different families). However, literature is scarce about the use of the same sperm donor for subsequent children in the same family.Methods: This study included 68 lesbian and heterosexual (aspiring) parents, recruited at the Department of Reproductive Medicine of Ghent University Hospital (Belgium). The in-depth semi-structured couple interviews were performed between October 2012 and October 2013. Data were analyzed through step-by-step inductive thematic analysis.Results: The couples showed a clear preference to use the same sperm donor for their children. The most common reasons for this preference were related to the family or sibling relationships and medical reasons. Uncertainty about the availability of the same donor over time seeped through in their stories. Most lesbian aspiring parents decided that both partners should have a genetic link with at least one child.Conclusion: The use of the same sperm donor for subsequent conceptions appeared quasi unambiguously in the interviews of the lesbian and heterosexual (aspiring) parents in our study.

Russian lesbian mothers: Between “traditional values” and human rights

Contemporary Russian state ideology has turned towards instituting “traditional family values,” an official turn that increased legal and social discrimination against queer families. The concept of “traditional family values” in the contemporary Russian state discourse refers to the “naturalness” of the heterosexual family, consisting of two parents and their biological offspring. This discourse eliminates the possibility of public lesbian parenting. Following the idea of the conceptualizations of queer temporalities in different geo-cultural contexts, I examine the impact of recent oppressive legal changes in Russia on reproductive choices, everyday parenting strategies, and social interactions among lesbian mothers. In this work, I seek to show more than the obvious harm caused by the “anti-gay law” in terms of its effects on lesbian-headed families. To do so, I analyze the strategies applied by Russian lesbian mothers to tackle the rapidly changing state ideologies and legislative landscapes. I do this by discussing the ways in which lesbian mothers in Russia “manipulate” their social status to avoid possible official or unofficial homophobic actions directed towards them and their children. For example, they may come out selectively, carefully choosing the people to whom they openly present their identity. I argue that to adhere to “ordinary” or “normal” family life, lesbian mothers in Russia use several survival strategies. One of these strategies relates to speculation about immigration to the “West.” That is, some lesbian families prepare all of the necessary documentation, secure valid visas, and attend special workshops where they receive legal and informational support on asylum seeking and emigration from Russia. Another set of strategies for maintaining family identity relies on the decision to come out as a co-mother during interactions with official institutions or to choose other identities; for example, godmother or sister of the birth mother of a child. An additional important strategy for lesbian mothers relies on drafting documents that maintain their rights in severe circumstances. This set of actions focuses on legally supporting the parental rights through the use of loopholes in the Russian legislation and drafting documents that maintain their rights to child custody and their partner’s property.

A Remarkable Legacy: The Wayne F. Placek Fund Grant Program

ABSTRACTGregory M. Herek, PhD, made an important professional contribution through his service as chair of the Scientific Review Committee of the Wayne F. Placek Fund of the American Psychological Foundation (APF). The scholars funded by this grant benefited from the prestige of the grant, which provided an important credential for early career professional development. Many of them went on to become significant researchers in the field of sexual and gender minorities. The studies funded by the Placek Grant also had important political and social effects, such as on legalizing adoption by lesbian and gay parents, passage of same-sex marriage, and demonstrating that lesbians and gay men were at elevated risk for physical health problems. The purpose of the present article is to document the history and impact of the Placek Grant and to describe Greg Herek’s central role in this grant program.

Sexual Attraction, Sexual Identity, and Same-Sex Sexual Experiences of Adult Offspring in the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study.

The U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study has followed offspring with sexual minority parents from conception into adulthood. It was initiated in 1986, and it has a 92% retention rate to date. In the current investigation, the 25-year-old offspring answered questions about sexual attraction, sexual identity, and sexual experiences; their responses were compared with those of same-age adults from a population-based survey. The analytic samples consisted of 76 offspring of lesbian parents and 76 demographically matched participants from the National Survey of Family Growth. All 152 respondents were 25years old, 48.7% were female, 90.8% identified as White, 9.2% were people of color, and all had attended at least some college. Although most respondents in each sample identified as "heterosexual or straight," compared to their matched counterparts in the population-based survey, the female and male offspring of lesbian parents were significantly more to likely to report same-sex attraction, sexual minority identity, and same-sex experience. These findings suggest that adult offspring from planned lesbian families may be more likely than their peers to demonstrate diversity in sexual attraction, identity, and expression.

Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Adoptive Parents’ Attitudes Towards Racial Socialization Practices

ABSTRACTWe tested the validity and measurement invariance of the Transracial Adoptive Parenting scale (TAPS) across sexual orientation with a nationwide sample of adoptive parents. Our study sample consisted of 737 heterosexual, 102 lesbian, and 64 gay adoptive parents from the Modern Adoptive Families (MAF) study, a cross-sectional survey. We conducted reliability analyses, as well as exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses for the 29-item TAPs. We then tested for measurement invariance based on sexual orientation. Findings show the TAPS is a reliable scale with a two-factor model measuring racial socialization and managing bias related to racial socialization practices. However, there was measurement invariance based on parent sexual orientation. Our study informs practitioners that the TAPS measure is a useful tool for assessment and intervention that can be used with sexual minority transracial adoptive parents. However, cautions against comparing TAPs scores across parental sexual orientation.

Supplemental Material for Longitudinal Associations Between Coparenting and Child Adjustment Among Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Adoptive Parent Families

Supplemental Material for Longitudinal Associations Between Coparenting and Child Adjustment Among Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Adoptive Parent Families

LGBTQ competence wanted: LGBTQ parents' experiences of reproductive health care in Sweden.

It is the responsibility of reproductive healthcare professionals to support all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) parents in their transition to parenthood. LGBTQ parents may not be fully supported within the reproductive health sector, because of heteronormativity and healthcare professionals' attitudes and practices. Beyond same-sex mothers, no research has been conducted in Sweden on the broader group of LGTBQ parents. To explore LGBTQ expectant and new parents' experiences of reproductive health care in Sweden when becoming parents. The current study consisted of cross-sectional qualitative interviews and was conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using systematic text condensation according to Malterud. The convenience sample consisted of 12 LGBTQ expectant or new parents. Four themes emerged from the analysis: (i) Inadequacies and mistreatment in reproductive health care, (ii) Consequences of heteronormativity, (iii) Satisfaction with reproductive health care despite heteronormativity and (iv) Wishing for LGBTQ competent reproductive health care. The first two themes concerned different heteronormative barriers in reproductive health care and the consequences for LGBTQ parents, which also included intersecting forms of judgment and mistreatment. The third theme highlighted the participants' satisfaction with LGBTQ competent care and aspects of high-quality care, despite lacking support. The last theme described the participants' wishes for inclusive and LGBTQ competent care and what reproductive healthcare professionals can do to achieve LGBTQ competence. Heteronormativity in the reproductive health sector is widespread and leads to lacking support in the transition to parenthood for LGBTQ people. Swedish reproductive health professionals may benefit from interventions aimed at developing LGBTQ competence. Reproductive healthcare professionals need to develop professional interventions to support and facilitate LGBTQ parents' transition to parenthood.

Het psychologisch welbevinden van Nederlandse adolescenten met lesbische moeders die gebruik maakten van een bekende, niet-anonieme of anonieme spermadonor

Abstract Self-esteem and problem behavior in Dutch adolescents conceived through sperm donation in planned lesbian-mother families: Is donor type of importance? Until 2004, Dutch women seeking donor insemination through medical facilities could opt for open-identity or anonymous donors. Currently, Dutch medical facilities are only allowed to use sperm from open-identity donors. Focusing on adolescents who were born before 2004, the present study provides a unique opportunity to compare the well-being of those conceived through different donor types: known, open-identity, or anonymous. The present study is based on 67 Dutch adolescents (meanage=16.04) conceived through sperm donation in lesbian-mother families. Participating adolescents were asked to complete the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Youth Self-Report, and to answer questions about their donor. Thirty-three adolescents were conceived through known, 22 through open-identity, and 12 through anonymous donors. No significant differences were found on self-esteem or problem behavior among adolescents conceived through the three donor types. Likewise, no significant differences were found on these variables for adolescents with known donors who indicated that these men did or did not play important roles in their lives. Feeling uncomfortable about not knowing one’s donor was associated with lower levels of self-esteem and more externalizing problem behavior. That donor type has no bearing on adolescent self-esteem and problem behavior may help in guiding the donor choices of prospective lesbian parents.

“Parent Advocacy” as an Ideological Code: LGBTQ Parents Engage with Disability Services

ABSTRACTWhat does the work that LGBTQ parents do to find resources for their disabled children reveal about the social organization of services? This article presents findings from an institutional ethnography study based on interviews with 15 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) parents and six key community informants in Toronto, Canada. The analysis focused on the work parents did to engage with disability service systems on behalf of their children, and the ways in which families’ social privilege and/or marginalization affected their experiences. Particular attention was paid to the ways in which “parent advocacy” was taken up, responded to, and critiqued in these interviews. “Parent advocacy” was found to operate as what Dorothy Smith has called an “ideological code” (Smith 1999), offloading systemic responsibilities onto parents, shielding inequities, and promoting individualized competition between service users. This study suggests that the systemic organization that makes “parent advocacy” necessary also renders parents’ relative privilege or marginality central to what their children receive.

The Heterogeneity of Family: Responses to Representational Invisibility by LGBTQ Parents

This article draws on qualitative research data collected in semistructured interviews conducted during 2013 and 2014 with 30 lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) parents living in Engl...

11.4 Motherhood: Sexual Minority Women and Their Journey to Parenting

A life course-developmental perspective can be used to help understand how experiences in life may impact a person at each developmental stage. The process of deciding to have children and becoming a parent often involves reworking the process of “coming out” as a lesbian woman. Growing up as a sexual minority can influence the strengths and vulnerabilities that one brings to parenting. Children may encounter obstacles that stem from the homophobia, stigmatization, and microaggressions that are directed toward them because of their parent’s sexual orientation. Knowledge of issues regarding lesbian parents can be used in clinical practice to work effectively with lesbian-parented families and to facilitate comprehensive treatment approaches for sexual minority families.

“I’ll Tell You What You Need to Know.” How Respondents Negotiate the Sense of Meaning- Making—Methodological Reflections from the Field Based on Ethnographic Study of Lesbian Parenting in Poland

The aim of this paper is to shed light on how various interactional and interpretational contexts arising from specific researcher—research participants relationship established in the course of doing ethnographic study on sensitive, and thus often enough resistant to immediate cognition, phenomenon, namely, lesbian parenting in Poland, as well as different ways of embracing these, may factor into the research process. Drawing on specific dilemmas I encountered while doing the study at hand—from engaging a hard-to-reach population that, in a sense, wished to be reached, and the consequences thereof; through being pushed out of the comfort zone as the women under study, in the wake of becoming acquainted with the analysis I offered, “switched” from narrating their “in-orderto motives” to reflecting on the “because motives” behind their actions; to contextualizing emotions arising as my response to experiencing the issues they face (on a daily basis), to name a few—my goal here is to discuss how different ways of collecting and analyzing data—in the context of developing rapport with the women under study—have had an impact on conceptualizing and (re)framing the data at hand.

Gender Fundamentalism and Heteronormativity in the Political Discussion About Lesbian and Gay Parenthood

In 2016, the Italian Parliament passed a law that extended to same-sex couples most of the rights of married heterosexual couples. However, the possibility of a partner in a same-sex couple adopting the biological children of the other partner was so controversial that it had to be deleted in order for the law to pass, thus denying lesbian and gay parents the legal protection they need. In this article, we analyze the speeches of Parliamentarians who opposed the section of the bill concerning lesbian and gay parenthood. The empirical analysis shows different discursive strategies deployed by MPs to combat the challenges to the heteronormative family, whose common reference is the hegemonic model of gender which has characterized the resistance of the Catholic Church to the recognition of non-heterosexual reproduction and kinship. Findings highlight that the opposition to the recognition of gay and lesbian parents contributes to reiterating restrictive standards of motherhood and to maintaining the institutionalization of sexualities and reproduction within the patriarchal order. Implications of the research findings for public and social policies are discussed.

Hegemony and Heteronormativity: Homonormative Discourses of LGBTQ Activists About Lesbian and Gay Parenting

ABSTRACTLGBTQ activists have a crucial role in fighting sexuality-based discrimination. However, homonormativity can lead activists to adhere to hegemonic heteronormativity, thus threatening their efforts to widen the concept of family. Drawing on the Gramscian notion of hegemony, this article analyzes the notion of heteronormativity and its homonormative facet as a form of hegemony that impacts activists, sustaining the premises of heteronormativity and seeking inclusion within such norms. This research investigates the hegemonic heteronormative assumptions that endure in the discourses of Italian LGBTQ activists when they talk about lesbian and gay parenting. Findings highlight the presence of heteronormative traces in their discourses, namely in terms of access to reproduction, the parents’ place within the regime of gender, and the right standards for child rearing. Hegemonic heteronormativity appears in multiform ways, and as largely consensual even to those it more directly oppresses, making it difficult to detect and therefore to deconstruct.

Gender Socialization Practices Among Bisexual and Other Nonmonosexual Mothers: A Longitudinal Qualitative Examination

ABSTRACTThough social scientists have researched sexual-minority parenting practices regarding the gender socialization of children, to date this research has focused exclusively on sexual-minority parents in same-gender relationships, and almost exclusively on the experiences of gay and lesbian parents. This article addresses the gender socialization parenting practices of 25 nonmonosexual sexual-minority women who are in different-gender relationships through analysis of qualitative in-depth interviews that took place over the course of 1 year. Our findings indicate that the experiences of these participants differ from both those reported in previous literature on sexual-minority parents in same-gender relationships, as well as heterosexual parents in different-gender relationships. Specifically, participants do not report sexual identity stigma as restricting the degree of cross-gender socialization in which they engage, nor do they report a gender normative influence from their male partners. Findings are discussed in the context of a socioecological framework.

Socializing Children About Family Structure: Perspectives of Lesbian and Gay Adoptive Parents

ABSTRACTDespite increasing numbers of lesbian- and gay- (LG-) parent families, little research on LG-adoptive-parent families has examined parental beliefs and perceptions related to discussing their sexual minority status with their children. This study assessed 266 LG adoptive parents (160 lesbian mothers, 106 gay fathers) from the Modern Adoptive Families (MAF) study, a nationwide survey (2012–2013) of adoptive parents' pre- and post-placement experiences. A cultural socialization lens provided the framework for examining LG parenting beliefs and practices. Two measurement scales were developed to examine parents' perceptions and self-efficacy related to socializing their child about being in a sexual-minority-parent family. Results indicate that LG parents endorse the importance of unique socialization practices and generally feel confident engaging in these practices. Parent education, transracial adoption, endorsement of racial socialization, and socialization self-efficacy were positively associated with endorsement of socialization practices. Excellent reliability suggests the 2 scales have the potential of being psychometrically sound instruments with which to measure parental endorsement and related self-efficacy of socialization practices for families headed by sexual minority parents. Findings contribute to a deeper understanding of socialization and communication patterns in LG-headed families, especially those formed through adoption. Research, policy, and practice implications are discussed.

Intersex in the Age of Queer Bioethics

Queer Bioethics and the inventory of its potential populations include a wide range of queer subjects: lesbian parents, HIV-positive gay and bisexuals, transgender youth, and non-cisgendered individuals, to name a few. With the ethical dilemmas and ethical duties couched inside of a Queer Bioethics in mind, this article will consider one of the field’s most enduring citizens: the intersex child. More specifically, the figure of the intersex child with ovotesticular non-normativity will be scrutinized on ethical and clinical planes – a major aspect of queer bioethics is, after all, clinical ethics for queer populations. Ovotesticular conditions will be covered at length; we discuss different variations in addition to narrowing the topic to those with 46,XX and ambiguous genitalia, specifically those 75% diagnosed under the age of 20, and speak on issues related to this population. We will also briefly discuss the population of the 20% diagnosed under the age of 5 years old. Interventions will be discussed in all realms of intersex conditions – specifically ovotestes. We will conclude with a principalist approach to ethical topics such as autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence, weighing these principles equally and ultimately erring on the side of autonomy within pediatric ethics where possible.

Positioning discourse on homophobia in schools: What have lesbian and gay families got to say?

This paper reports findings from a study in England, which investigated the experiences of lesbian and gay parents in relation to homophobia in primary and secondary schools. The study was part of a larger European Union project investigating the impact of family and school alliances against homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools across six nation states. Qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews with seven lesbian and gay parents from five families were conducted to explore their unique experience and perspectives on these issues. Discourse analysis was used to facilitate understanding of how lesbian and gay families negotiated the outsider/insider and public/private spheres of the school and communities of which they were a part. Parents identified a number of strategies to address their experiences of homophobia within schools. The findings have implications for how social work recognises and promotes diversity and equality when working with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families, as social workers have a powerful role in supporting families. This involves recognising the strengths of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families in their assessments.