NYU Press The Gay Baby Boom: The Psychology of Gay Parenthood

The gay and lesbian community is experiencing a baby boom. Advances in gay rights coupled with increased availability of alternative reproduction techniques have led to an unprecedented number of openly gay and lesbian parents. Estimates are that between 6 and 14 million children in the United States are being raised by at least one parent who is gay. Yet, very little is known about how gay or lesbian headed families function, or whether they differ in any relevant ways from families headed by straight parents. Written by two developmental psychologists, The Gay Baby Boom reports the findings of The Gay and Lesbian Family Study, the largest national assessment of gay and lesbian headed families. By asking participants detailed questions about the way they parent, the authors are able to describe for the first time exactly what takes place within gay and lesbian headed families across the county. Traditional research has tended to assume that there is something uniquely different and potentially psychologically damaging about children being raised by gays. The authors draw on their data to show these fears unfounded. "Serves to advance the understanding of lgbt families in the U.S. today, and helps provide guideposts for members of same-sex households as they pioneer new family formations." - Terry Boggis, Director, Center Kids, The family program of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, New York "An effortless how-to book that would be recommended hand-me-down reading for prospective same-sex parents from those who've fingered the pages within." - Metapsychology Online Book Review Review An effortless how-to book that would be recommended hand-me-down reading for prospective same-sex parents from those who've fingered the pages within.-- "Metapsychology Online Book Review" Perhaps many heterosexual couples with children and less than harmonious households could learn something.-- "New York Times" Serves to advance the understanding of lgbt families in the U.S. today, and helps provide guideposts for members of same-sex households as they pioneer new family formations.--Terry Boggis, Director, Center Kids, The family program of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, New York Skillfully moves the dialogue from whether or not we should have children to how it is we actually, actively do this thing of being families. . . . Makes important distinctions between the health of our families internally and the effects of the outside world on our development as parents and on our children's development. Johnson and O'Connor engage readers to objectively view our families, the bonds we form, and the egalitarian models that we create for our children without apology and with clarity and respect for this generation of intentional families that has the potential to change the world.--Aimee Gelnaw, Executive Director, Family Pride Coalition About the Author Suzanne Johnson is Associate Professor of Psychology at Dowling College. Elizabeth O'Connor has taught as an adjunct faculty member teaching in social and developmental psychology at Dowling College and St. Joseph's College in the psychology and education departments.