Author Description

Breaking through long-held presumptions about family relationships, this volume focuses on lesbian, gay and bisexual identities as an important facet of life in many families. For the first time, it examines the entire multifaceted experience of such relationships, in contrast to studies which have looked exclusively at the lives and origins of lesbian and gay couples. The editors bring together the most important recent scholarship on lesbian, gay, and biosexual identities in families, and identify directions for future research and theory in this area. The first section of the book discusses different perspectives on sexual orientation in families. It highlights important and controversial new research on sexual orientation and emphasizes the interplay of continuities and discontinuities across generations. The next section focuses on key aspects of interpersonal relationships within the families of lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals. The relationships between children and parents of different sexual orientations are discussed. The final section of the book focuses on the community and contextual issues. It explores the economic issues, antigay attitudes, policies, and social structures. This volume, the first to discuss the family relationships of gay men, lesbians, and bisexual men and women, will be interesting to psychologists, scholars of gay/lesbian/bisexual studies, as well as lay audience.