This article explores contemporary childhoods through a lens of epistemic privileges and injustices in order to consider the experiences of children whose family models may not reflect the heterosexual norm. More than 14 million children in the United States have one or more gay parents. As the legal definition of marriage in the United States now…

Different pathways to parenthood exist for lesbians and gay men, including adoption and sperm or egg donation. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health showed few differences in terms of adjustment between adolescents living with opposite-sex couples and those living with same-sex couples. Recommendations for clinical work…

Reviews research regarding the sexual identity, personal development, and social relationships of children of gay and lesbian parents. To date, there is no evidence that the development of children of gay and lesbian parents is compromised relative to the development of children of heterosexual parents. (BC)

Excerpts from interviews are frequently used in this discussion of teachers' reactions to children with gay or lesbian parents and administrators' efforts to ensure that such children are accepted in their schools. Offers possible teacher responses to questions of children with gay or lesbian parents. (BB)

Charlotte J. Patterson, winner of the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy, is cited as the world's expert on psychological research on children and youths raised by lesbian and gay parents. Her early analytic syntheses of the literature on the subject greatly influenced other researchers in child and family…

Researchers have identified challenges for sexual minority individuals in schools; however, attention to lesbian and gay parents' experiences with their children's schools has not been given. We used a qualitative case study involving one identified gay couple and one identified lesbian couple to document their experiences and relationships…

Background: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) parents of children with developmental disabilities (DDs) in health and early learning systems are largely understudied. Inclusive, affirming services are critical to timely identification and intervention for DDs. This literature review aimed to establish…

On March 28, 2022, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1557 "The Parental Rights in Education" bill into law, taking effect July 1, 2022. As written, the bill: (a) prohibits discussion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, and all other terms and concepts related to sexuality and gender (LGBTQ+)…

Prevailing heteronormative discourses in early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand present difficulties for upholding the right of gender diverse tamariki ("children") and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer-parented families to experience belonging in equitable, inclusive early childhood settings. The purposeful…

This study quantified changes in self-reported sexual orientation from adolescence to early adulthood, and whether childhood gender nonconformity (GNC) predicted sexual orientation changes. Youth (2,678 boys and 3,359 girls; 96.09% ethnically White) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) were included. Self-reported…

In the United States, controversy persists regarding what it means for heterosexuality to be the norm, or more pointedly, what it means for those not strictly heterosexual to be outside the norm. It is important that consultants in schools be aware of the current state of research bearing on homosexuality. Consultation provides a viable approach…

This article presents the first systematic review of all the existing peer-reviewed literature (n = 20) on gay and lesbian parents and their children in early childhood education settings. The review includes articles that were empirical or pedagogical practice oriented, focused exclusively on early childhood education (Birth to 5 years), and…

Forty Italian gay father families formed by surrogacy were compared with 40 Italian lesbian mother families formed by donor insemination, all with a child aged 3 to 9 years. Standardized interview, observational, and questionnaire measures of parenting quality, parent-child relationships, stigmatization, and children's adjustment were administered…

Despite increasing understanding of the importance of including children and families from diverse backgrounds and family structures within early childhood education (ECE) programmes, little attention has been paid to how children and parents from Rainbow Families are included. This article draws on findings from two studies in Aotearoa New…

This longitudinal study examined coparenting and child adjustment during early and middle childhood (Ms = 3 and 8 years, respectively) among 106 lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parent adoptive families. When children were in middle childhood, no differences emerged as a function of parental sexual orientation in observations or self-reports of…