Lesbian and Gay Families

Question 1

Ways lesbians and gay men can build families

Answer 1

• Child from previous heterosexual relationships (both)
• Artificial insemination via donor sperm (lesbians)
• Adoption (both)
• Surrogacy (usually gay men)

Question 2

Types of sperm donors

Answer 2

• Donor known to couple
• Donor from sperm bank

Question 3

Cost of sperm

Answer 3

Cost of sperm in 2019 = ~$985-1130 per vial
- Price depends on donor type

Question 4

Methods of artificial insemination

Answer 4

• Home inseminations AKA: “turkey baster” method
• Intra-uterine insemination at a clinic

Question 5

Information on sperm donor profiles

Answer 5

Typical profile contains lots of medical info, brief description

Question 6

Current rules regarding gay men and lesbians being able to adopt

Answer 6

• In March 2016 adoption by same sex parents became legal after a federal judge’s ruling
• LGB parents are not protected in all states if they want to foster children

Question 7

Surrogacy

Answer 7

• Gay men may be able to have biological children if they have a surrogate
• Surrogate can be a friend or through an agency

Question 8

How much does surrogacy cost?

Answer 8

~$120,000-200,000

Question 9

Anderssen, Amlie, and Ytteroy (2002)

Answer 9

No differences between children with LG and heterosexual parents on:
- Sexual orientation, emotional functioning, stigmatization, gender role behavior, behavioral adjustment, gender identity, cognitive development
- No more hostility compared to peers with heterosexual parents, but some kids teased a little more about being gay themselves

Question 10

National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study

Answer 10

• Adolescents and lesbian parents may actually fare better socially than other kids
• Psychological well-being not significantly different
• Most differences for kids with lesbian parents have to do with economic disadvantage
• Sample consisted of those born through donor insemination to lesbian moms
• Homophobic stigmatization during adolescence

Question 11

Mazrekaj, De Witte, and Cabus (2020)

Answer 11

• Children raised by same-sex parents from birth outperformed children with different-sex parents on standardized tests
• Children raised by same-sex parents from birth were 4.8% more likely to graduate than children with different-sex parents