By focusing on often neglected lesbian geographies, this paper deconstructs the urban/rural divide which has pervaded discussions of (sexual) geographies. In particular, the paper addresses the intersections between imaginings of urban idylls (what could be termed the urban gay) and how these places ‘beyond’ can, in part, (in)form everyday lives in small towns (what could be termed the lesbian ...

Much popular and professional literature has focused on the effects of father absence, particularly in lesbian parent households; yet, little attention has been paid to lesbian parents’ preferences and intentions surrounding male involvement. This qualitative study of 60 lesbian women who were transitioning to parenthood explores this issue. Most women desired some level of male involvement, ev...

The article offers sociological analysis of some aspects of fatherhood and parenthood in the case of lesbian families with the starting idea that essential innovations in the parental identities, roles and practices are going on outside the “classical” (heterosexual and binary) parental roles known in modernity. Lesbian families (together with gay families) count for the most radical challenge ...

A questionnaire comprising two scales, the short form of the Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men Scale (ATLG-S; Herek, 1984) and the newly devised Support for Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Scale (SLGHR) were administered to 226 students taking undergraduate psychology courses at universities in the United Kingdom, to assess their attitudes towards lesbians and gay men, and their level of supp...

The repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy raises several questions and this article examines two of these: (1) Do gay/lesbian service members elicit personal discomfort in coworkers? and (2) Do gay/lesbian service members receive equitable administrative actions? Active duty Air Force office personnel (N = 181) reported their attitudes toward open service and responded to hypothetical scen...

OBJECTIVE To explore how lesbian, gay, and bisexual healthcare practitioners manage their identity in the clinical examination of patients. DESIGN Qualitative study using grounded theory. SETTING Hospital and primary health care. PARTICIPANTS 16 healthcare professionals who identified themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, and are involved in the clinical examination of patients. RESU...

This study investigates the experiences of lesbian and gay parents seeking health care for their children within the Australian medical system. Previously unavailable demographic data was collected on lesbian and gay families, and qualitative information was sought from parents about positive or problematic health care experiences related to sexual orientation and family constellation. Ninety-t...

Research on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth with LGBTQ parents is absent in the social science literature. The present qualitative, exploratory study utilized a social constructionist and queer theoretical lens through which to explore the sexual/gender identity formation and disclosure experiences of 18 LGBTQ young adults with lesbian/bisexual mo...

housing for LGBT elders. Generations, 29(4), 65–70. de Vries, B. (2007). LGBT couples in later life: A study in diversity. Generations, 31(3), 18–23. de Vries, B., & Blando, J. A. (2004). The study of gay and lesbian lives: Lessons for social gerontology. In G. Herdt & B. de Vries (Eds.), Gay and lesbian aging: research and future directions (pp. 3–28). New York: Springer. de Vries, B., & Hocte...

Adoption is known to promote cognitive and emotional development in children from foster care, but policy debates remain regarding whether children adopted by gay and lesbian parents can achieve these positive outcomes. This study compared the cognitive development and behavior problems at 2, 12, and 24 months postplacement of 82 high-risk children adopted from foster care in heterosexual and g...