David M. Brodzinsky and Adam Perman (eds.): Adoption by Lesbians and Gay Men: A New Dimension in Family Diversity

Excerpt

In Adoption by Lesbians and Gay Men: A New Dimension in Family Diversity, editors David M. Brodzinsky and Adam Pertman sought to provide an overview of the challenges that homosexual couples face in American adoption processes, as well as examine available social science research on children raised in these families. The book covers a wide variety of topics, including the overall history of the adoption process, specific legal challenges, and societal perceptions of the interfamilial dynamics in families consisting of two gay parents. The primary objective of the book is to familiarize readers with the concept of adoption and educate those who may have never considered any of the arguments for, or against, gay adoption. Each of the book’s eleven chapters starts by setting the foundations of its respective topic before delving into the outcomes of studies or surveys of state-by-state demographic data and, in doing so, makes the complex topic of gay adoption accessible to its audience. …