1. Research Issues And Important Questions
LGBT Families
Research Issues And Important Questions

2. Big Issues Framing Our Interest
Prior Heterosexual Relationship
Adoption
Foster Parenting
Biologic Parenting
“The Old-Fashioned Way”
Donor Insemination
Ovum Donation
Surrogacy
Big Issues Framing Our Interest
Lesbian and Gay Parenting Options

3. Big Issues Framing Our Interest
Small Sample Sizes
Snowball Sampling Is Common
Comparison Groups
Generalizability Of Findings
Data Is Defensive Or “Deficit” Related
Big Issues Framing Our Interest
Data Issues

4. Big Issues Framing Our Interest
Parents Are Mentally Ill
Lesbians Are Less Maternal
Lesbian/Gay Parents Will Molest Children
Non-Attentive Parenting
Children Suffer From Lack Of Paternal/Maternal Influences
Big Issues Framing Our Interest
Beliefs About Lesbian and Gay Parents

5. Gay and Lesbian Parents
Lesbians Are “Normal”
Self esteem and psychological adjustment
Attitudes toward child-rearing, responses to child behavior
Kids Have More Contact With Biological Fathers Than Kids Of Divorce
Gay and Heterosexual Dads Both Nurturance and Invest Time In Kids
There Are Higher Levels Of “Synchronicity” In Parenting
Parent-Child Interactions
No differences between lesbian biological mothers and either hetero biological or step- mothers
Lesbian step-mothers score higher than either biological or step- fathers
Gay and Lesbian Parents

6. Big Issues Framing Our Interest
They’ll Have Problems With Gender Identity
They Won’t Have “Appropriate” Gender Role Behavior
They Will “Turn” Gay or Lesbian
They’ll Have Difficult Peer Relationships
Big Issues Framing Our Interest
Beliefs About Children Of Lesbian And Gay Parents

7. Kids Of Gay and Lesbian Parents
Gender Identity
More than 500 kids in studies
None of them have gender identity confusion
Gender Roles
Overall, no significant gender role differences between the two.
No self-reported differences in mothers encouraging sex- role traits or behaviors in kids
Boys: rate selves as conventionally masculine and higher on “awareness of others’ feelings” and “gentleness”
Girls: rate selves as conventionally feminine and higher on “adventuresomeness” and “likes to be a leader”
Sexual Orientation
At least 10 studies and none have reported significantly high rates of homosexual orientation in kids
In one study, daughters more likely than sons to consider a same sex relationship and to have had a homoerotic relationship
Peer Relationships
No evidence of disruption in social relationships
Adult children do report more teasing about their sexuality as kids
Kids Of Gay and Lesbian Parents