Psychology

Will I marry if my parents can't? Young adults with LGB parents consider marriage for themselves

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Although an emerging body of research has examined lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults' attitudes and feelings about marriage, very little research has explored how their offspring view marriage. The current exploratory, qualitative, interview-based study of 35 adolescents and emerging adults (ages 15-28 years; mean age = 21 years) with LGB parents examines their attitudes about and desire for marriage. Results revealed that many participants endorsed romantic ideas about marriage and hoped to someday marry themselves. Other participants expected to marry, but solely for "pragmatic" reasons (i.e., legal/financial protections). Some participants expressed concerns about the institution of marriage, and therefore rejected marriage for themselves-although some conceded that they might marry if and when all LGB people were able to marry. Finally, a small group of participants expressed a desire to marry, but struggled with the idea of marrying when their LGB parents could not. These findings reveal great diversity in the marital desires of young adults with LGB parents, and highlight the various social contexts that ultimately shape their beliefs and intentions surrounding marriage. © The Author(s) 2013.

Publication Title

Journal of Family Issues

Publication Date

2014

Volume

35

Issue

2

First Page

151

Last Page

180

ISSN

0192-513X

DOI

10.1177/0192513X12473746

Keywords

attitudes, bisexual, gay, lesbian, marriage, young adult

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