Psychology

Parent-child conversations about legal inequalities in gay- and lesbian-parent families in Florida

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Due to legal restrictions on same-sex relationships and parenting, same-sex parents have the added responsibility of teaching their children how to function in a heteronormative society where their family status is devalued and, in some places, discriminated against through legislation. The current study uses qualitative methods to explore the perspectives of 22 same-sex adoptive parents regarding how they discuss legal discrimination with their children (age range = seven months to 18 years; M = six years, 10 months). Eight parents (36%) reported talking to their children; the remainder (n = 14; 64%) reported that they did not engage in conversations, typically due to their children's age. Participants who engaged in discussions with their children named a variety of reasons for doing so, some of which are consistent with the racial socialization literature: namely, preparation for bias and fostering pride. Several themes emerged that appear to be unique to same-sex adoptive parents. For example, some parents described using the discussions to ignite their children's interest in political or social activism. This study takes a first step in highlighting the reasons why same-sex parents engage their children in discussion about legal discrimination and point to areas for future research.

Publication Title

Journal of GLBT Family Studies

Publication Date

2016

Volume

12

Issue

4

First Page

365

Last Page

385

ISSN

1550-428X

DOI

10.1080/1550428X.2015.1083500

Keywords

adoption, GLB, heterosexism, same-sex families, same-sex parenting

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