Abstract
As a result of the relatively high rate of divorce in this country and the increasing awareness that many parents (an estimated 1.5 million) are homosexual, the courts, as well as divorce mediators, have become actively involved in child custody placement decisions involving homosexual parents. While custody decisions have tended to reflect stereotyped beliefs or fears concerning the detrimental effects of homosexual parenting practices on child development, a review of the research consistently fails to document any evidence substantiating these fears. A number of specific custody issues are discussed as well as social factors relevant to lesbian motherhood. In conclusion, several authors call for increased awareness of the facts of homosexual parenting by lawyers, judges, and other professionals involved in homosexual parent-child custody cases.
Footnotes
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Dr. Howell is a professor of psychology and director of the doctoral program in clinical psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. David Kleber and Alta Tibbits-Kleber are doctoral students in the Clinical Psychology Department, Brigham Young University.
- Copyright © 1986, The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
