Background

Why is this research important?

Experiences of Children in LGBTQ+ Parent Families

  • Recent population estimates have shown that between 2 and 3.7 million children under the age of 18 in the United States have LGBTQ+ parents (Gates, 2015).
  • Abundant research demonstrates that children with LGBTQ+ parents fare equally well in developmental outcomes as compared to their peers with heterosexual parents (Moore & Stambolis-Ruhstorfer, 2013; Patterson, 2017).
  • However, a number of studies also indicate that young children and adolescents with LGBTQ+ parents face "feeling different" from others because of teasing, bullying, or even outright discrimination because of their family structure (Farr, Crain, Oakley, Cashen, & Garber, 2016; Kosciw & Diaz, 2008; Leddy, Gartrell, & Bos, 2012; Vanfraussen, Ponjaert-Kristoffersen, & Brewaeys, 2002).
  • Currently, no research has yet to investigate the experiences of young people with LGBTQ+ parents who are diverse in racial-ethnic identity, geographic location, class, and family formation. As a result, there is a need to learn about and represent the lives of young people who have LGBTQ+ parents.

References

Farr, R. H., Crain, E. E., Oakley, M. K., Cashen, K. K., & Garber, K. J. (2016). Microaggressions, feelings of difference, and resilience among adopted children with sexual minority parents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(1), 85-104.
Gates, G. J. (2015). Marriage and family: LGBT individuals and same-sex couples. Future of Children, 25(2), 67-87.
Kosciw, J., & Diaz, E. (2008). Involved, invisible, ignored: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents and their children in our nation’s K-12 schools. GLSEN.
Leddy, A., Gartrell, N., & Bos, H. (2012). Growing up in a lesbian family: The life experiences of the adult daughters and sons of lesbian mothers. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 8, 243-257.
Moore, M. R., & Stambolis-Ruhstorfer, M. (2013). LGBT sexuality and families at the start of the twenty-first century. Annual Review of Sociology, 39, 491-507.
Patterson, C. J. (2017). Parents’ sexual orientation and children’s development. Child Development Perspectives, 11(1), 45-49. Vanfraussen, K., Ponjaert-Kristoffersen, I., & Brewaeys, A. (2002). What does it mean for youngsters to grow up in a lesbian family created by means of donor insemination? Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 20(4), 237-252.