TY - JOUR
T1 - Law and LGBQ-Parent Families
AU - Kazyak, Emily
AU - Woodell, Brandi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
PY - 2016/9/1
Y1 - 2016/9/1
N2 - This paper addresses how the law affects LGBQ-parent families. We first outline the legal landscape that LGBQ parents face in the US, underscoring that it varies drastically by state and creates inequity for families. Reviewing existing social science research, we then address how the law affects three processes for LGBQ people: desiring parenthood, becoming a parent, and experiencing parenthood. Our review indicates that the law affects if and how LGBQ people become parents. LGBQ people consider the law as they make decisions about whether to pursue adoption, donor insemination, or surrogacy and often view the latter two pathways as the most legally secure. Further, the law continues to be salient for LGBQ parents throughout parenthood and affects family well-being. Specifically, legal inequity diminishes parent’s well-being, the relationship among couples who are parenting, and parents’ ability to effectively advocate for their children in institutional settings like healthcare contexts. Finally, we address directions for future research for scholars interested in the law, family processes and outcomes, and LGBQ families.
AB - This paper addresses how the law affects LGBQ-parent families. We first outline the legal landscape that LGBQ parents face in the US, underscoring that it varies drastically by state and creates inequity for families. Reviewing existing social science research, we then address how the law affects three processes for LGBQ people: desiring parenthood, becoming a parent, and experiencing parenthood. Our review indicates that the law affects if and how LGBQ people become parents. LGBQ people consider the law as they make decisions about whether to pursue adoption, donor insemination, or surrogacy and often view the latter two pathways as the most legally secure. Further, the law continues to be salient for LGBQ parents throughout parenthood and affects family well-being. Specifically, legal inequity diminishes parent’s well-being, the relationship among couples who are parenting, and parents’ ability to effectively advocate for their children in institutional settings like healthcare contexts. Finally, we address directions for future research for scholars interested in the law, family processes and outcomes, and LGBQ families.
KW - Adoption
KW - Donor insemination
KW - Familial relationships
KW - Law
KW - Same-sex parenting
KW - Surrogacy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84978619026&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84978619026&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s12119-016-9335-4
DO - 10.1007/s12119-016-9335-4
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:84978619026
SN - 1095-5143
VL - 20
SP - 749
EP - 768
JO - Sexuality and Culture
JF - Sexuality and Culture
IS - 3
ER -