This article examines the claim that children of lesbians and gay men are different
to those of heterosexuals, particularly in their gender and sexual identity. The
author considers two examples, a UK Christian discourse opposed to all forms of
lesbian and gay parenting and a US liberal equality approach, represented by the
work of Stacey and Biblarz (2001). Both, the author argues, treat difference as a
thing acquired by children. This article examines and disputes the ways in which
this idea of difference is achieved, and proposes that treating gender and sexuality
as measurable outcomes is highly problematic. The author argues for research that
asks how contemporary discourses of sexuality actually maintain the very idea that
lesbian and gay families are different.
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22.
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23.
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