Gender Identity
Self-labelling as a man, woman
Queer
Non-binary/ non-conforming
Sex
A person’s biological/anatomical sex
Sexuality
Emotional/romantic/sexual attraction to other people
Transgender
People whose gender identity is different from cultural expectations based on sex assigned at birth
Lesbian
women who are homosexual
Gay
Men who are homosexual
Queer or Transgender
Someone who feels their biological sex doesn’t match their socially ascribed status, or who identify as a gendered outside the male/female binary
Two-spirited
Indigenous tradition that recognizes more than 2 genders
Research Issues
- The invisibility of LGBTQ2 families in much research
- Fears of disclosure of sexuality
- Only 2.2% of research in top family journals
Changing Attitudes
- Attitudes have religious, legal and moral roots
- 19th century: homosexuality as a “mental illness” (1973)
- Non-heterosexual marriage made in legal in 2005
- Stereotypes of “deviance” continue despite changes in the law
The Idea of “the” Family
- Stonewall Riots (1969) and the gay rights movement
- Activists critiques definitions of “family” that excluded gays and lesbians
- Defenders of “family values” oppose perceived threats to “the” Family
- Family sociology traditionally has a heterosexist bias (sociology of deviance)
- These definitions of family undermine social justice and promote homophobia
Prevalence of LGBTQ2 Families
- Self-identity is not always clear-cut
- A significant but small minority of the population
- 1.7% self-identify as homosexual
- 1.3%self-identify as bisexual
- Census data likely underestimate prevalence of same-sex couples
Relationships and Patterns of Support
- Breakup rates are comparable to those of heterosexual couples
- Gay/lesbian couples report more autonomy and a more egalitarian division of labour
- Dual-wage earners and a high level of “material self-sufficiency”
Challenges
- Family of origin plays an important role and may have trouble with acceptance
- Gay youth can face lack of family support
- Homelessness and other social problems
- Common experiences of shame, self-hatred, social isolation, harassment and rejection
- More likely to have unmet health care needs
- More likely to find life stressful
- Lack of access to support outside of large urban centres
Children of Lesbian/Gay Couples
- As conductive to psycho-social growth of children as heterosexual couples
- Daily routine and family life cycle is largely similar
3 social fears for children from l/g parents
- Children will be maladjusted due to social stigma
- Offspring will be sexually molested
- Children will grow up to be gay
Rights and Entitlements
- Social Recognition
- Same-sex relationships and parenting rights
- Official forms of discrimination have been eliminated
- Legal discrimination continues, including tax breaks and work-related benefits
intergenerational ambivilance
refers to the contradictory emotions or the coexistence of both positive and negative feelings within generational relationships
