Perspectives of Youth With LGBTQ+ Parents: Feelings of Openness and Acceptance Toward Others,Oneself,and Family

Abstract

Youth with LGBTQ+ parents may feel that their parents’ LGBTQ+ identity impacted their lives because of unique experiences such as LGBTQ+ family socialization. Guided by family systems, queer, and social constructionism theories, we explored this question via in-depth interviews with 49 youth (8 with minoritized gender identities and 25 with minoritized sexual identities) between 12 and 25 years old (M_age = 19.51, SD = 3.48) in the United States, and who had at least one LGBTQ+ parent. Using inductive thematic analysis, four themes were identified: (1) feelings of openness and acceptance toward the self; (2) feelings of openness and acceptance toward others; (3) feelings of openness and acceptance toward their family; and (4) perceptions of normalcy. Many endorsed these themes and reported that they felt this way specifically due to their parents’ LGBTQ+ identities. Youth were asked about their thoughts related to future families. These themes were considered in relation to their family formation (e.g., adoption; donor insemination). This research indicates that youth with LGBTQ+ parents may experience unique socialization about openness and acceptance in the context of their families. This research is important in informing culturally competent practice for other youth, parents, and those who serve LGBTQ+ parent families.

Keywords

early/emerging adulthood LGBT research positive youth development qualitative methods adolescence

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adler

N. E.

Epel

E. S.

Castellazzo

Ickovics

J. R.

(2000). Relationship of subjective and objective social status with psychological and physiological functioning: Preliminary data in healthy White women. Health Psychology, 19(6), 586–592. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.19.6.586

Allen

S. H.

Mendez

S. N.

(2018). Hegemonic heteronormativity: Toward a new era of queer family theory. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 10(1), 70–86. https://doi-org/10.1111/jftr.12241

American Civil Liberties Union. (2023, April 7). Mapping attacks on LGBTQ rights in U.S. state legislatures. https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights

Badgett

M. V. L.

Choi

S. K.

Wilson

B. D. M.

(2019, October). LGBT poverty in the United States: A study of differences between sexual orientation and gender identity groups. The Williams Institute. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/National-LGBT-Poverty-Oct-2019.pdf

Bos

H. W.

Knox

J. R.

Van Rijn-van Gelderen

L. K.

Gartrell

(2016). Same-sex and different-sex parent households and child health outcomes: Findings from the national survey of childrenʼs health. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 37(3), 179–187. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000000288

Branscombe

N. R.

Fernández

Gómez

Cronin

(2012). Moving toward or away from a group identity: Different strategies for coping with pervasive discrimination. In Jetten

Haslam

S. A.

(Eds.), The social cure: Identity, health, and well-being (pp. 115–134). Psychology Press. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ohiowesleyan-ebooks/detail.action?docID=728281.

Braun

Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Braun

Clarke

(2012). Thematic analysis. In Cooper

Camic

P. M.

Long

D. L.

Panter

A. T.

Rindskopf

Sher

K. J.

(Eds.), APA Handbook of research methods in psychology (Vol. 2. Research designs, pp. 57–71). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13620-004

Braun

Clarke

(2021). Can i use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern-based qualitative analytical approaches. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12360

10.

Cashen

K. K.

(2022). Community connections among emerging adults with sexual minority parents. LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 18(2), 151–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/27703371.2022.2058670

11.

Cashen

K. K.

Altamari

D. K.

Grotevant

H. D.

McRoy

R. G.

(2019). Hearing the voices of young adult adoptees: Perspectives on adoption agency practice. Child Welfare, 97(4), 1–22.

12.

Clarke

Demetriou

(2016). ‘Not a big deal’? Exploring the accounts of adult children of lesbian, gay and trans parents. Psychology & Sexuality, 7(2), 131–148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2015.1110195

13.

Cody

P. A.

Farr

R. H.

McRoy

R. G.

Ayers-Lopez

S. J.

Ledesma

K. J.

(2017). Youth perspectives on being adopted from foster care by lesbian and gay parents: Implications for families and adoption professionals. Adoption Quarterly, 20(1), 98–118, https://doi.org/10.1080/10926755.2016.1200702

14.

Cox

M. J.

Paley

(1997). Families as systems. Annual Review of Psychology, 48(1), 243–267. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.48.1.243

15.

Crenshaw

(1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1229039

16.

Cyrus

(2017). Multiple minorities as multiply marginalized: Applying the minority stress theory to LGBTQ people of color. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health, 21(3), 194–202. https://doi.org/10.1080/19359705.2017.1320739

17.

Dickey

L. M.

Ducheny

K. M.

Ehrbar

R. D.

(2016). Family creation options for transgender and gender nonconforming people. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 3(2), 173–179. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000178

18.

Family Equality Council. (2019, January). LGBTQ family building survey. https://www.familyequality.org/fbs

19.

Farr

R. H.

(2017). Does parental sexual orientation matter? A longitudinal follow-up of adoptive families with school-age children. Developmental Psychology, 53(2), 252–264. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000228

20.

Farr

R. H.

Tasker

Goldberg

A. E.

(2017). Theory in highly cited studies of sexual minority parent families: Variations and implications. Journal of Homosexuality, 64(9), 1143–1179. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2016.1242336

21.

Few-Demo

A. L.

Humble

Á. M.

Curran

M. A.

Lloyd

S. A.

(2016). Queer theory, intersectionality, and LGBT-parent families: Transformative critical pedagogy in family theory. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 8(1), 74–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12127

22.

Fish

J. N.

Russell

S. T.

(2018). Queering methodologies to understand queer families. Family Relations, 67(1), 12–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12297

23.

Garner

(2005). Families like mine: Children of gay parents tell it like it is. Harper Collins.

24.

Goldberg

A. E.

(2007a). (How) does it make a difference? Perspectives of adults with lesbian, gay, and bisexual parents. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(4), 550–562. https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.77.4.550

25.

Goldberg

A. E.

(2007b). Talking about family: Disclosure practices of adults raised by lesbian, gay, and bisexual parents. Journal of Family Issues, 28(1), 100–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X06293606

26.

Goldberg

A. E.

Allen

K. R.

(Eds.). (2020). LGBTQ-parent families: Innovations in research and implications for practice (2nd ed.). Springer.

27.

Goldberg

A. E.

Manley

M. H.

Ellawala

Ross

L. E.

(2018). Sexuality and sexual identity across the first year of parenthood among male-partnered plurisexual women. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 6(1), 75–87. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000307

28.

Goldberg

A. E.

Smith

J. Z.

(2013). Predictors of psychological adjustment in early placed adopted children with lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parents. Family Psychology, 27(3), 431–442. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032911

29.

Goldberg

S. K.

Conron

K. J.

(2018). How many same sex couples in the U.S. are raising children? Williams Institute. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/parenting/how-many-same-sex-parents-in-us/

30.

Harré

(2002). Public sources of the personal mind: Social constructionism in context. Theory & Psychology, 12(5), 611–623.https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959354302012005895

31.

Hosking

Mulholland

Baird

(2015). “We are doing just fine”: The children of Australian gay and lesbian parents speak out. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 11(4), 327–350. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2014.988378

32.

Hughes

Rodriguez

Smith

E. P.

Johnson

D. J.

Stevenson

H. C.

Spicer

(2006). Parents’ ethnic-racial socialization practices: A review of research and directions for future study. Developmental Psychology, 42(5), 747–770. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.5.747

33.

Kuvalanka

K. A.

Goldberg

A. E.

(2009). “Second generation” voices: Queer youth with lesbian/bisexual mothers. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(7), 904–919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9327-2

34.

Kuvalanka

K. A.

Munroe

(2020). The ‘second generation:’ LGBTQ youth with LGBTQ parents. In Goldberg

A. E.

Allen

K. R.

(Eds.), LGBTQ-parent families: Innovations in research and implications for practice (2nd ed., pp. 241–256). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35610-1

35.

Lehavot

Beckman

K. L.

Chen

J. A.

Simpson

T. L.

Williams

E. C.

(2019). Race/ethnicity and sexual orientation disparities in mental health, sexism, and social support among women veterans. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 6(3), 347–358. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000333

36.

Levitt

H. M.

Bamberg

Creswell

J. W.

Frost

D. M.

Josselson

Suárez-Orozco

(2018). Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA publications and communications board task force report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 26–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000151

37.

Levitt

H. M.

Motulsky

S. L.

Wertz

F. J.

Morrow

S. L.

Ponterotto

J. G.

(2017). Recommendations for designing and reviewing qualitative research in psychology: Promoting methodological integrity. Qualitative Psychology, 4(1), 2–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/qup0000082

38.

Lick

D. J.

Patterson

C. J.

Schmidt

K. M.

(2013). Recalled social experiences and current psychological adjustment among adults reared by gay and lesbian parents. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 9(3), 230–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2013.781907

39.

Lick

D. J.

Schmidt

K. M.

Patterson

C. J.

(2011). The Rainbow Families Scale (RFS): A measure of experiences among individuals with lesbian and gay parents. Journal of Applied Measurement, 12(3), 222–241.

40.

Lytle

M. C.

Foley

P. F.

Aster

A. M.

(2012). Adult children of gay and lesbian parents: Religion and the parent-child relationship. The Counseling Psychologist, 41(4), 530–567. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000012449658

41.

McKnight

(2016). Queerspawn on the couch: A guide for clinicians working with youth and adults with LGBT parents. Columbia Social Work Review, 7(1), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.7916/D8T15428

42.

Oakley

Farr

R. H.

Scherer

D. G.

(2017). Same-sex parent socialization: Understanding gay and lesbian parenting practices as cultural socialization. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 13(1), 56–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2016.1158685

43.

Oswald

R. F.

Blume

L. B.

Marks

S. R.

(2005). Decentering heteronormativity: A model for family studies. In Bengston

V. L.

Acock

A. C.

Allen

K. R.

Dilworth-Anderson

Klein

D. M.

(Eds.), Sourcebook of family theory and research (pp. 143–165). National Council of Family Relations. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412990172.n6

44.

Park

Schmitz

R. M.

Slauson-Blevins

(2020). “It takes a lot of planning”: Sexual minority young adult perceptions of gay and lesbian parenthood. Journal of Family Issues, 41(10), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X20925508

45.

Patterson

C. J.

Farr

R. H.

Goldberg

A. E.

(2021). LGBTQ+ parents and their children. NCFR Policy Brief, 6(3), 1–6. https://www.ncfr.org/policy/research-and-policy-briefs/lgbtq-parents-and-their-children

46.

Reczek

(2020). Sexual- and gender-minority families: A 2010 to 2020 decade in review. Journal of Marriage & Family, 82(1), 300–325. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12607

47.

Renley

B. M.

Burson

Simon

K. A.

Caba

A. E.

Watson

R. J.

(2022). Youth-specific sexual and gender minority state-level policies: Implications for pronoun, name, and bathroom/locker room use among gender minority youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(4), 780–791. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01582-9

48.

Schwandt

T. A.

(2000). Three epistemological stances for qualitative inquiry: Interpretivism, hermeneutics and social constructionism. In Denzin

N. K.

Lincoln

Y. S.

(Eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 189–214). SAGE.

49.

Simon

K. A.

Farr

R. H.

(2022). Identity-based socialization and adopted children’s outcomes in lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parent families. Applied Developmental Science, 26(1), 155–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2020.1748030

50.

United States Census Bureau. (2022, July 13). Children of same-sex parents more likely to be adopted than those living with a parent in an opposite-sex relationship. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/07/most-kids-with-parent-in-same-sex-relationship-live-with-female-couple.html

51.

Weston

(1991). Families we choose: Lesbians, gays, kinship. Columbia University Press.

52.

Wyman Battalen

Farr

R. H.

Brodzinsky

D. M.

McRoy

R. G

. (2019). Socializing children about family structure: Perspectives of lesbian and gay adoptive parents. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 15(3), 235–255. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2018.1465875