Lesbian and Gay Parenting
I. SUMMARY OF RESEARCH FINDINGS
Charlotte J. Patterson
University of Virginia
Like families headed by heterosexual parents, lesbian and gay parents and their children are a diverse group (Martin, 1993).
Unlike heterosexual parents and their children, however, lesbian and gay parents and their children are often subject to
prejudice because of sexual orientation that turns judges, legislators, professionals, and the public against them, frequently
resulting in negative outcomes such as loss of physical custody, restrictions on visitation, and prohibitions against adoption
(Falk, 1989; Editors of the Harvard Law Review, 1990). As with all socially stigmatized groups, the beliefs held generally in
society about lesbians and gay men are often not based in personal experience, but are instead culturally transmitted (Herek,
1991). The purpose of this summary of research findings on lesbian and gay parents and their children is to assist......
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