Download or read book Lesbian Motherhood written by Amy Hequembourg and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-01-11 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique practical application of poststructuralist theory to lesbian mothers’ narratives, Lesbian Motherhood: Stories of Becoming analyzes the personal stories of 40 lesbian mothers to discover the complex ways their sense of self is constructed in the current legal, political, and social climate. These intimate narratives are examined by using Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s conceptual framework to understand subjectivities by focusing on the many flexible lines of movement that constitute subjectivities, or ‘becomings.’ This unique source reveals deep insight into a lesbian's construction of self through her stories about her own sexuality, parenting, and other experiences in becoming a mother. Lesbian Motherhood: Stories of Becoming challenges the assimilation/resistance perspective typically expressed by scholars of lesbian motherhood. Qualitative interviews reveal startling new perspectives to lesbian mother subjectivities viewed within the context of the legal, political, and social areas that seek to define and regulate contemporary family life. This powerful source explores in detail the discursive strategies through which lesbian subjectivities are created and recreated. Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of ‘becoming’ provides a valuable framework for analyzing the discursive strategies employed by those participating in this study. Lesbian Motherhood: Stories of Becoming offers insightful, powerful information that is indispensable to GLBT scholars, and social theorists.

Download or read book Lesbian Motherhood written by Róisín Ryan-Flood and published by Springer. This book was released on 2009-05-27 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book studies the growing number of lesbian women embarking on parenthood after coming out. Theoretical debates about lesbian motherhood often consider its assimilative or transgressive dimensions. This book offers a different approach, contextualising lesbian motherhood in relation to sexual citizenship and hegemonic discourses of kinship

Download or read book Lesbian Mothers written by Ellen Lewin and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2018-03-15 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Within a society that long considered "lesbian motherhood" a contradiction in terms, what were the experiences of lesbian mothers at the end of the twentieth century? In this illuminating book, lesbian mothers tell their stories of how they became mothers; how they see their relationships with their children, relatives, lovers, and friends and with their children’s fathers and sperm donors; how they manage child-care arrangements and financial difficulties; and how they deal with threats to custody. Ellen Lewin’s unprecedented research on lesbian mothers in the San Francisco area captured a vivid portrait of the moment before gay and lesbian parenting moved into the mainstream of U.S. culture. Drawing on interviews with 135 women, Lewin provided her readers with a new understanding of the attitudes of individual women, the choices they made, and the texture of their daily lives.

Download or read book Mothering Queerly Queering Motherhood written by Shelley M. Park and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2013-06-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a model for queering motherhood that resists racist, neoliberal, and hetero- or homonormative ideals of “good” mothering.

Download or read book Lesbian Motherhood written by Fiona Nelson and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The issue of gay and lesbian parenting has been the focus of much controversy in recent years. The views of politicians, the public, and the clergy have received much media attention, often overshadowing those of the parents themselves. Fiona Nelson attempts to bridge this gap with Lesbian Motherhood, the first study of its kind, which explores the many aspects and stages of lesbian motherhood. Nelson's study is based on over thirty interviews with lesbian mothers in Alberta. The women fall into two groups: those raising children who had been conceived in prior heterosexual relationships and those raising children who had been conceived within lesbian relationships. The two groups provide a valuable comparison because, although the effects of the social context can be quite similar for each, their experiences of mothering are often strikingly different. Nelson explores such topics as reproductive decision-making, interacting with other mothers, the effects of the social context in which lesbian mothering is occurring, step-parenting, domestic and parenting roles, and raising boys. The non-supportive social milieu in which they exist is one of the major factors distinguishing lesbian families from many other families. There is some discussion in the book of the political activism that has occurred in Canada around the legal status and equality of lesbian women and their families. There is also a Canadian resource directory for lesbian mothers and prospective mothers.

Download or read book New Choices New Families written by Nancy J. Mezey and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2008-07-28 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Society continues to debate the changing American family, especially nontraditional families. In addition, this debate engages the controversy surrounding the parental rights of same-sex couples and their families. In New Choices, the author asks why lesbians are forming families at this particular historical moment and wonders how race, class, sexual identity, and family history factor into the decision- making process. Drawing heavily from personal interviews, her analysis gives voice to groups long underrepresented in similar studies, such as black, Latina, working class, and childfree lesbians.

Download or read book Different Daughters written by Louise Rafkin and published by Cleis Press. This book was released on 2001-05-01 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book will help your mom understand. Give it to her."—Betty DeGeneres Coming out to mom is a lesbian rite of passage. In Different Daughters, thirty mothers of lesbians come together to trace their journeys towards acceptance of their daughters. Facing their fears and confusion, prejudice and misunderstandings, they speak honesty and bravely about the difficulties and joys of life with their "different daughters." Writing about families, community, religion, grandchildren, bisexuality, transgender issues, and coming out, the authors of Different Daughters raise questions shared by all mothers: How can we accept our children for who they are? How can we love our children even when they are different from us? This updated and expanded third edition of Louise Rafkin's landmark anthology includes new stories by mothers of bisexual women and young lesbians, a sister of a lesbian, and the brave testimony of one mother whose lesbian daughter is in the process of redefining her gender.

Download or read book She Looks Just Like You written by Amie Klempnauer Miller and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2011-03-15 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After ten years of talking about having children, two years of trying (and failing) to conceive, and one shot of donor sperm for her partner, Amie Miller was about to become a mother. Or something like that. Over the next nine months, as her partner became the biological mom-to-be, Miller became . . . what? Mommy’s little helper? A faux dad? As a midwestern, station wagon–driving, stay-at-home mom—and as a nonbiological lesbian mother—Miller both defines and defies the norm. Like new parents everywhere, she wrestled with the anxieties and challenges of first-time parenthood but experienced pregnancy and birth only vicariously. Part love story, part comedy, part quest, Miller’s candid and often humorous memoir is a much-needed cultural roadmap for becoming a parent, even when the usual categories do not fit.

Download or read book Confessions of the Other Mother written by Harlyn Aizley and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2006-05-01 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the few books to explore lesbian parenting, these “hilarious, heart-wrenching, painfully honest tales of mommyhood” celebrate the ups and downs of being an LGBTQIA+ parent in the 21st century (Joey Solloway, creator of Transparent). After author Harlyn Aizley gave birth to her daughter, she watched in unanticipated horror as her partner scooped up the baby and said, “I'm your new mommy!” While they both had worked to find the perfect sperm donor, Aizley had spent nine months carrying the baby and hours in labor, so how could her partner claim to be their child's mommy? Many diapers later, Aizley began to appreciate the complexity of her partner’s new role as the other mother. Together, they searched for stories about families like their own, in which a woman has chosen to forgo her own birth experience so that she might support her partner in hers. They found very few. Now, in Confessions of the Other Mother, Aizley has put together an exciting collection of personal stories by women like her partner who are creating new parenting roles, redefining motherhood, and reshaping our view of two-parent families. Contributors include Hillary Goodridge, who was one of the lead plaintiffs in the case for same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, stand-up comedian Judy Gold, and psychologist and author Suzanne M. Johnson. This candid peek into a previously unexamined side of lesbian parenting is full of stories that are sometimes humorous, sometimes moving, but at all times celebratory. Each parenting tale sheds light on the many facets of motherhood, offering gay and straight readers alike a deeper understanding of what it means to love and parent in the twenty-first century.

Download or read book Transforming Law s Family written by Fiona Kelly and published by UBC Press. This book was released on 2011-05-15 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Transforming Law's Family, Fiona Kelly explores the complex issues encountered by planned lesbian families as they work to define their parental rights, roles, and family structures within the tenets of family law. While Canadian courts recognize lesbian parenthood in some circumstances, a number of issues that are largely unique to planned lesbian families � such as the legal status of known sperm donors and non-biological mothers � remain undefined. Drawing on interviews with lesbian mothers, Fiona Kelly illuminates the changing definitions of family and suggests a model for law reform that would enable the legal recognition of alternative forms of parentage.

Download or read book Waiting in the Wings written by Cherríe Moraga and published by Haymarket Books. This book was released on 2022-12-06 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a series of journal entries—some original passages, others revisited and expanded in retrospect—Cherrié Moraga details her experiences with pregnancy, birth, and the early years of lesbian parenting. The premature birth of her son, when HIV-related mortality rates were at their highest, forced Moraga, a new mother at 40-years-old, to confront the fragile volatility of life and death; in these recorded dreams and reflections, her terror and resilience are made palpable. The particular challenges of queer parenting prove transformative as Moraga navigates her interesecting roles as mother, child, lover, friend, artist, activist, and more. With an updated introduction and other additions, this 25th anniversary edition of Waiting in the Wings is thoughtful and emotive, with prose that is sharp and beautifully written, from the voice of a beloved and incomparable writer.

Download or read book Lesbian Motherhood in Europe written by Kate Griffin and published by Burns & Oates. This book was released on 1997 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This important new book is both a narrative account and a comprehensive reference source about lesbian parenting in Western, Central and Eastern Europe. Inspirational stories from women across Europe demonstrate that shifting social, political and religious boundaries have facilitated a new visibility and openness for lesbian mothers. Changing public attitudes are explored in relation to the social, political and economic realities which largely mitigate against lesbian insemination parenting, fostering and adoption. Even in those countries where acceptance of lesbian and gay lifestyles has resulted in legal protection, such as anti-discrimination legislation and the right to register same-sex partnerships, the domain of the family remains reserved exclusively for heterosexuals. The women interviewed discuss how to conceive a child; the effects of children on lesbian relationships; lesbian identity versus motherhood; attitudes of friends, family and colleagues; relationships with the father; role models; and lesbian motherhood as a political act. Profiles of the 28 countries provide information about the political, social and economic climates as well as current details of legislation affecting lesbian access to donor insemination, adoption and fostering, child and family benefits, support groups and networks, and indicators for future change.

Download or read book Lesbian Motherhood written by Fiona Nelson and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nelson's study is based on over thirty interviews with lesbian mothers in Alberta. The women fall into two groups: those raising children who had been conceived in prior heterosexual relationships and those raising children who had been conceived within lesbian relationships. The two groups provide a valuable comparison because, although the effects of the social context can be quite similar for each, their experiences of mothering are often strikingly different. Nelson explores such topics as reproductive decision-making, interacting with other mothers, the effects of the social context in which lesbian mothering is occurring, step-parenting, domestic and parenting roles, and raising boys. The non-supportive social milieu in which they exist is one of the major factors distinguishing lesbian families from many other families.

Download or read book Queering Family Trees written by Sandra Patton-Imani and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2020-06-09 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Argues that significant barriers to family-making exist for lesbian mothers of color in the United States One might be tempted, in the afterglow of Obergefell v. Hodges, to believe that the battle has been won, that gays and lesbians fought a tough fight and finally achieved equality in the United States through access to legal marriage. But that narrative tells only one version of a very complex story about family and citizenship. Queering Family Trees explores the lived experience of queer mothers in the United States, drawing on over one hundred interviews with African American, Latina, Native American, white, and Asian American lesbian mothers living in a range of socioeconomic circumstances to show how they have navigated family-making. While the legalization of same-sex marriage and adoption in 2015 has provided avenues toward equality for some couples, structural and economic barriers have meant that others—especially queer women of color who often have fewer financial resources—have not been able to access seemingly available “choices” such as second-parent adoptions, powers of attorney, and wills. Sandra Patton-Imani here argues that the virtual exclusion of lesbians of color from public narratives about LGBTQ families is crucial to maintaining the narrative that legal marriage for same-sex couples provides access to full equality as citizens. Through the lens of reproductive justice, Patton-Imani argues that the federal legalization of same-sex marriage reinforces existing structures of inequality grounded in race, gender, sexuality, and class. Queering Family Trees explores the lives of a critically erased segment of the queer population, demonstrating that the seemingly “color blind” solutions offered by marriage equality do not rectify such inequalities.

Download or read book Radical Relations written by Daniel Winunwe Rivers and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2013-09-03 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Radical Relations, Daniel Winunwe Rivers offers a previously untold story of the American family: the first history of lesbian and gay parents and their children in the United States. Beginning in the postwar era, a period marked by both intense repression and dynamic change for lesbians and gay men, Rivers argues that by forging new kinds of family and childrearing relations, gay and lesbian parents have successfully challenged legal and cultural definitions of family as heterosexual. These efforts have paved the way for the contemporary focus on family and domestic rights in lesbian and gay political movements. Based on extensive archival research and 130 interviews conducted nationwide, Radical Relations includes the stories of lesbian mothers and gay fathers in the 1950s, lesbian and gay parental activist networks and custody battles, families struggling with the AIDS epidemic, and children growing up in lesbian feminist communities. Rivers also addresses changes in gay and lesbian parenthood in the 1980s and 1990s brought about by increased awareness of insemination technologies and changes in custody and adoption law.

Download or read book Gay and Lesbian Parenting written by Jack Drescher and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2001-08-29 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Find sources of support for raising a nontraditional family in a straight world! The experience of parenting is commonly overlooked in psychological theory, and lesbians and gay men are not typically considered as parents or parents to be. Gay and Lesbian Parenting examines the psychological issues related to developing family and becoming parents for gay men and lesbians. Instead of pathologizing gay and lesbian families, it explores the emotional growth and development issues inherent in child-rearing. Traditionally, coming out as gay or lesbian meant abandoning any hope of becoming a parent or keeping your children if you already had them. But with the “gayby boom” in full swing, more and more gay and lesbian couples are having new babies, adopting children, and continuing to raise the offspring of previous heterosexual relationships. Although gay and lesbian parents still face unique challenges in building and rearing a family, as well as the usual problems heterosexual couples encounter, Gay and Lesbian Parenting unflinchingly examines these concerns and offers positive suggestions and ideas for dealing with the difficulties. This life-affirming book takes a look at the practical and emotional realities of raising children in nontraditional family structures, including: issues of kinship, shared motherhood, and possessiveness in lesbian couples legal issues entailed by the lack of marriage and legal kinship parenthood as a powerful force for personal growth and development fatherhood as a process of creating connectedness in the family, community, and place of worship original empirical research on the mental health of lesbians’children the history of the gay and lesbian movement as it relates to child-rearing Gay and Lesbian Parenting affirms the power of gay and lesbian couples to raise healthy, happy children and to change and grow through their experience of parenting. This book is also essential for mental health professionals from psychiatric nurses to psychiatrists who are working with the gay and lesbian community.

Download or read book Women in Love written by Barbara Seyda and published by Bulfinch Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Looks at the daily realities of parenting and living as a lesbian in the United States