“In the Best Interests of the Child”: Lesbian and Gay Parenting Custody Cases, 1967–1985

@article{Rivers2010InTB,
  title={“In the Best Interests of the Child”: Lesbian and Gay Parenting Custody Cases, 1967–1985},
  author={Daniel Rivers},
  journal={Journal of Social History},
  year={2010},
  volume={43},
  pages={917 - 943}
}
  • Daniel Rivers
  • Published 17 June 2010
  • Sociology
  • Journal of Social History
This article offer a history of lesbian and gay parenting custody case from 1967 to 1985. Using court transcripts, newspaper articles, and oral histories with key participants, it documents the struggle over definitions of the family that emerged in the gay and lesbian liberation era as women and men left previous heterosexual relationships and were forced to fight for custody or visitation of their children. These legal battles marked the first generation of lesbian and gay parents to openly… 
View via Publisher
15 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
1
Background Citations
7

15 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

Lesbian Mothers and Child Custody: Australian Debates in the 1970s
Noting that the twenty-five year old lesbian mother had been awarded custody of her two young sons, Mitchell went on to outline the key points in the case, including the mother’s allegation of…
"The House on the Borderland": Lesbian Desire, Marriage, and the Household, 1950-1979
Using interviews, diaries, memoirs, and letters to the Daughters of Bilitis and/or its long time leaders Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, this article examines the lives of more than 160 wives who…
“People don’t understand who you are”: An exploration of how formerly heterosexually partnered gay fathers raised with religion make sense of their identities
Twelve formerly heterosexually married/partnered gay fathers raised with religion from the US, Canada, UK and Ireland participated in interviews focused on their experiences of managing their…
How Children Rearrange the Closet: Disclosure Practices of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Prospective Parents
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (GLBTQ) people in the United States are increasingly living lives beyond the closet. Previous research on the organization of postmodern families has…
'My Wife’s Pregnant, We’re Gonna Have a Baby!' 'Oh, Tell Her Congratulations!'Same-Sex Couples’ Desires for Support in Parenting
Same-sex couples with children face a variety of challenges in raising children. The literature does not examine the parenting challenges that couples face and how such challenges affect the lives of…
Legal History: Gender and Sexuality
application of legal theory to history, and the comparative analysis of legal history across multiple jurisdictions. This year, the course will focus on questions of gender and sexuality, including…
“Not My Proudest Moment”: Guilt, Regret, and the Coming-Out Narrative
Abstract This article draws on oral history interviews with twenty-six lesbian and bisexual women who came out within the context of heterosexual marriages between the 1970s and the early 2000s.…
Citizenship rights, discrimination and stigmatisation of LGBTI students by health care services at a South African rural-based university
abstract Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals experience stigmatisation and discrimination in their everyday lives. These experiences are noted in South Africa, even…
Children with Trans Parents: Parent–Child Relationship Quality and Psychological Well-being
TLDR
The findings of this exploratory study challenge commonly held concerns about the potentially negative effects on children of growing up with a trans parent.
Love is Historically, Institutionally, and Societally Constructed: Using Intersectionality to Examine Racial Issues of Power and Privilege in Queer Relationships
How does interracial attraction expose power dynamics within both heterosexual and queer relationships in accordance with historical and institutional infringements on civil rights? With my research…
...
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 20 REFERENCES
Lesbianism and Motherhood: Implications for Child Custody
T HE LAST TWO DECADES have witnessed a number of dramatic changes in the pattern of American family life; the participation of women and particularly mothers in the labor force has grown rapidly…
Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation
EWe commonly think of marriage as a private matter between two people, a personal expression of love and commitment. In this pioneering history, Nancy F. Cott demonstrates that marriage is and always…
Regulating Sex: The Politics of Intimacy and Identity
Acknowledgements Regulating Sex: An introduction Elizabeth Bernstein and Laurie Schaffner Part 1: The Regulation of Queer Identities and Intimacies 1. Liberalism and Social Movement Success: The case…
Courting Justice: Gay Men And Lesbians V. The Supreme Court
Since 1958, twenty-five men and two women have forced the Supreme Court to consider whether the Constitution's promises of equal protection apply to gay Americans. Here Joyce Murdoch and Deb Price…
Homosexuality and American Psychiatry: The Politics of Diagnosis
In 1973, after several years of bitter dispute, the Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association decided to remove homosexuality from its official list of mental diseases. Infuriated by…
Courting Change: Queer Parents, Judges, and the Transformation of American Family Law
Acknowledgments Preface: Putting a Face on the Debate 1. Introduction: Situating the Meanings of Marriage 2. The Road to Same-Sex Marriage: The Beginning 3. The Rite as Right: Marriage as Material…
Sexual identity of 37 children raised by homosexual or transsexual parents.
  • R. Green
  • Psychology
    The American journal of psychiatry
  • 1978
TLDR
37 children who are being raised by female homosexuals or by parents who have changed sex (transsexuals) report or recall childhood toy, game, clothing, and peer group preferences that are typical for their sex.
Gay fathers: evolution of the gay-father identity.
  • F. Bozett
  • Sociology
    The American journal of orthopsychiatry
  • 1981
Interview data from an exploratory study of 18 gay fathers indicate that identity congruence evolves over time as these men participate in both the world of fathers and the world of gays. Disclosure…
The Blackwell Companion to Criminology
Preface. List of Contributors. Part I: Crime, Justice, and Societies:. 1. The Social Nature of Crime and Deviance: Colin Sumner. 2. Theories of Social Control and the State between American and…
Sexual Justice: Democratic Citizenship and the Politics of Desire
Sexual Justice defends a robust a robust conception of lesbian and gay rights, emphasizing protection against discrimination and recognition of queer relationships and families. Synthesizing…
...
...