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01-08-2009 | Empirical Research

“Second Generation” Voices: Queer Youth with Lesbian/Bisexual Mothers

Auteurs: Katherine A. Kuvalanka, Abbie E. Goldberg

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Youth and Adolescence | Uitgave 7/2009

Abstract

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 mothers. Findings suggest that LGBTQ parents may have a uniquely positive influence on their LGBTQ children in regard to their sexual and gender identity development. However, some participants reported perceiving societal scrutiny related to their mothers’ lesbian/bisexual identities and, thus, felt pressure to be heterosexual and gender-conforming. Furthermore, some participants did not necessarily utilize or view their lesbian/bisexual mothers as sources of support in relation to their own sexual/gender identity formation. While much more research is needed that examines the experiences of LGBTQ children with LGBTQ parents, this study represents a first step in addressing the existing literature gap.

vorige artikel Youth Empowerment and High School Gay-Straight Alliances

volgende artikel Comparing Sexual-Minority and Heterosexual Young Women’s Friends and Parents as Sources of Support for Sexual Issues

Queer is used throughout this paper as a general term to refer to “any person who transgresses traditional categories of gender or sexuality” (Burdge 2007, p. 244), thus including all LGBTQ persons; it is also used to refer to some individual participants’ identities when they specifically utilized the term to describe themselves.

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Titel: “Second Generation” Voices: Queer Youth with Lesbian/Bisexual Mothers
Auteurs: Katherine A. Kuvalanka
Abbie E. Goldberg
Publicatiedatum: 01-08-2009
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Youth and Adolescence / Uitgave 7/2009
Print ISSN: 0047-2891
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-6601
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9327-2

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