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The description of gay and lesbian families in second‐parent adoption cases
Author(s) -
Connolly Catherine
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
behavioral sciences and the law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.649
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1099-0798
pISSN - 0735-3936
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-0798(199821)16:2<225::aid-bsl301>3.0.co;2-z
Subject(s) - lesbian , psychology , homosexuality , psychoanalysis
Lesbians and gay men are turning to the courts to recognize their family relationships. In this article every reported court decision where a lesbian or gay couple has successfully completed a second‐parent adoption is reviewed to analyze the presentation and judicial analysis of the petitioning parties in conjunction with the current debates within family theory. Traditional family theorists argue that the contemporary family is in transition but will always be recognizable as the traditional family; postmodern theorists argue that the traditional “family” is a fiction. Results from this study indicate that judges in second‐parent adoption cases rely on a traditional definition and vision of the family in evaluating the gay and lesbian petitioners before them. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.