Biography

Charlotte J. Patterson, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. Her research explores the role of sexual orientation in human development and family lives, and is best known for her studies of child development in lesbian- and gay-parented families. She has won multiple awards, including a Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from APA Division 44, an Outstanding Achievement Award from the APA Committee on LGBTQ Concerns; and a Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy Award from APA. She was a member of the U.S. Institute of Medicine Committee on LGBT Health Issues and Research Gaps; their influential report was published by the National Academies Press in 2011. Last year, Patterson co-chaired a U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Committee on Understanding the Status and Well-Being of Sexual and Gender Minority Populations; their report was issued in October 2020.

Twitter: @cjp22903

Sexual Orientation and Family Lives

Session Type: Invited Talk

Abstract

How does sexual orientation shape family lives? Sexual orientation is a significant influence on family lives throughout the life course; here, we consider how sexual orientation may influence decision-making relevant to family concerns among adolescents and young adults. With shifting attitudes and with the legalization of same-sex marriage, much has changed in recent years. In the United States, some sexual minority youth can now imagine futures in which they can choose to marry a same-sex partner, create a family, and expect to rear children in the context of supportive communities. At the same time, however, other youth may desire such futures, but find themselves unable to believe in their possibility. What can research findings tell us about this? What are the key issues here? And how can we create a world in which sexual minority youth will be able both to envision and to realize the futures that they desire?

Sub Unit

• Invited Program

Moderator

• Russell B Toomey, University of Arizona

Speaker

• Charlotte J Patterson, University of Virginia - Charlottesville

Introducer

• Meg Bishop, University of Maryland - College Park