Lesbian/gay parenting

May 28 2007

The birth of Mary Cheney's son will create great public interest in same-sex parenting.

The Rockway Institute at Alliant International University stands ready to make available several social science researchers and mental health professionals from across the nation to comment on the significant aspects of lesbian parenting and the experience of children raised in families with same-sex parents.

The Rockway Institute's Executive Director Dr. Robert-Jay Green and a number of other nationally known experts on lesbian/gay parenting can discuss:

• Research data on developmental outcomes for children raised by lesbian parents, including the children's mental health, peer relations, gender identity, and sexual orientation in childhood and in adolescence.
• Differences in parenting styles between lesbian co-parents and heterosexual co-parents, such as division of housework and child care duties.
• The impact of the couple's relationship on the child's well-being.
• Changes in the relationships of same-sex partners with each partner's family-of-origin as a result of these grandchildren being born.
• Clinical/psychotherapy experience treating same-sex couples going through the transition to parenthood. How becoming a parent affects their relationships with each other, with their parents, siblings, friends, co-workers, and in other areas of their lives.
• The psychological impact of the legal issues for same-sex couples who are parents.

The Rockway Institute is a national think tank for public policy on issues affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. It is affiliated with the California School of Professional Psychology, a graduate program of Alliant International University in San Francisco.

http://www.alliant.edu/