Children of Queer Parents: Negotiating Identity, Stigma, and Community over the Lifespan

• In Event: 091 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Paper Session. Families that Challenge and are Challenged by Our Times

Abstract

Same-sex couples are raising increasing numbers of children and represent a growing area of family research. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 27 young adult children of gay men and lesbians in the United States, this paper examines how such individuals manage the stigma associated with having gay parents and the extent to which their parents’ sexual orientation becomes a salient part of their own self identification. We find that experience of this stigma varies over the life cycle, as information about parents’ sexual orientation becomes easier to conceal. We further find that, as these children become adults, their own sexual orientation shapes the ways in which they make sense of this aspect of their biography, as well as their relationship with gay rights groups. We find that some adult children of gay parents seek out others with similar family background as part of affirming this aspect of their biography.

Authors

• Rebecca Ann DiBennardo, University of California-Los Angeles

• Abigail C. Saguy, University of California-Los Angeles