Societal pressures have led to social and legal policy changes that have resulted in fertility clinics increasingly permitting lesbians access to their services. Therefore, lesbian women are able to conceive their children and create their families in ways that historically were not available to them. While some research has been conducted examining the needs, experiences, and issues faced by lesbian-led families in general, there is a dearth of research that exclusively explores lesbian couples who conceived their children through the use of anonymous donor insemination. The qualitative method that guided this research was interpretive interactionism. Interviews were conducted with 10 couples who self-identified as lesbian, chose to have their children while in their lesbian relationships, and conceived their children through the use of anonymous donor insemination. Analysis of the transcripts revealed that four themes shaped, constructed, represented, and gave meaning to these unique family configurations. These four themes are (a) conception options of two women, (b) two women parenting, (c) anonymous donors/not fathers, and (d) families with lesbian mothers. These themes are elaborated in terms of their implications for lesbian-led families, clinical practice, and future research. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

La orientación sexual es uno de los procesos que define la constitución identitaria, en el caso de los homosexuales representa mayor dificultad por un entorno adverso. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo explorar el proceso de reconocimiento de la orientación sexual en jóvenes gays y lesbianas de Lima Metropolitana desde un enfoque cualitativo fenomenológico. La muestra estuvo conformada por 6 gays y 6 lesbianas entre 19 a 25 años, con quienes se realizaron entrevistas semi estructuradas. Los resultados revelaron que el reconocimiento de la homosexualidad se ve complejizado por un contexto social predominantemente heteronormativo. Ante esto, resulta importante la búsqueda de información y el establecimiento de redes de apoyo. Asimismo, tras la consolidación de la homosexualidad, la persona resignifica sus vivencias y se convierte en un agente de apoyo para otros, puesto que logran vivir en libertad y congruencia consigo mismo, mostrando mejoras en su salud mental según sus discursos. / Sexual orientation is one of the processes that define the identity constitution, in the case of homosexuals it represents a greater difficulty due to an adverse environment. This study aimed to explore the process of recognition of sexual orientation in young gays and lesbians from Metropolitan Lima from a qualitative phenomenological approach. The sample consisted of 6 gays and 6 lesbians between the ages of 19 and 25, with whom semi-structured interviews were conducted. The results revealed that the recognition of homosexuality is complicated by a predominantly heteronormative social context. Given this, the search for information and the establishment of support networks are important. Likewise, after the consolidation of homosexuality, the person resignifies their experiences and becomes a support agent for others, since they manage to live in freedom and congruence with themselves, showing improvements in their mental health according to their discourse. / Tesis

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo explorar el proceso de develación de la orientación sexual y la relevancia del soporte social percibido de las mujeres adultas tempranas lesbianas y bisexuales en Lima Metropolitana. Para ello, se elaboró un estudio de metodología cualitativa, en el cual se entrevistaron a 6 mujeres bisexuales y 6 mujeres lesbianas. El objetivo de las entrevistas fue conocer cómo fue el proceso de develación de la orientación sexual e identificar el papel que tiene el soporte social en esta etapa. Los resultados evidencian que dicho período suele ser muy angustiante, estresante y complicado, ya que usualmente están propensas a recibir respuestas negativas y/o rechazo por parte de su familia, pero en específico por parte de sus madres. Otro de los resultados más importantes, es que la red de soporte social conformada por amistades tiene un rol de suma de importancia, porque harán el proceso más llevadero, permitiendo así que las mujeres bisexuales y lesbianas no estén solas antes, durante, ni después de enunciar su orientación sexual. / The present research aimed to explore the process of disclosure of sexual orientation and the relevance of the perceived social support of bisexual and lesbian early adult women in Lima Metropolitan. For this purpose, a qualitative methodology study was elaborated, in which 6 bisexual women and 6 lesbian women were interviewed. The objective of the interviews was to explore the process of disclosure of sexual orientation and to identify the role of social support in this stage. The results indicate that this disclosure process is usually very distressing, stressful and complicated, because they are usually prone to receive negative responses and/or rejection from their family, but specifically from their mothers. Other important results is that the social support network of friends plays an extremely important role, because it will make the process more bearable, thus allowing bisexual and lesbian women not to be alone before, during, or after the disclosure of their sexual orientation.

Mödra- och förlossningsvården i Sverige har riktlinjer för hur vården skall bedrivas för att kunna ge god vård inom reproduktiv och sexuell hälsa. De mänskliga rättigheterna betonar alla människors lika värde oavsett sexuell läggning. Trots det kan lesbiska föräldrar uppleva det som utmanande att finna vårdgivare som inte arbetar på ett heteronormativt sätt. Syftet med detta arbete var att belysa lesbiska föräldrars upplevelser av vården i samband med barnafödande och föräldraskap samt barnmorskans stödjande åtgärder för dessa mammor i föräldraskapet. En litteraturöversikt utfördes. Artikelsökningen genomfördes i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL där artiklar publicerade mellan åren 2000 – 2015 söktes. Författaren klassificerade och utförde kvalitetsbedömning på samtliga kvalitativa och kvantitativa artiklar. Femton vetenskapliga artiklar inkluderades i analysen. Resultatet beskriver lesbiska föräldrars vårdupplevelser. Föräldrarna hade erfarenhet av att känna sig exkluderade, men även positiva vårdupplevelser beskrevs, som att känna sig välkomnad. Flertalet medmammor beskrev upplevelsen av föräldrarollen som "en kamp att definiera sin roll". Genom att inkludera medmammor i övergången till moderskapet kunde vårdpersonal erbjuda ett bättre stöd i föräldrarollen. Barnmorskan kunde genom att bekräfta familjekonstellationen, stötta kvinnorna i föräldraskapet. Slutsatsen av detta arbete visar att lesbiska föräldrar riskerar negativt bemötande i mötet med vården i samband med barnafödande och föräldraskap. Utmaningarna lesbiska föräldrar upplever handlar om att "vara på nåder" hos vårdpersonal, att behöva förklara sig och att känna sårbarhet i patientrollen. På grund av heteronormativ vård och homofobi beskriver lesbiska föräldrar avvisande och exkludering i samspelet med vårdgivaren. Lesbiska föräldrar beskriver också att de möts av välkomnande och inkludering, framförallt inom förlossningsvården. Studiens resultat påvisade att bra stöd och personcentrerad vård kan ha en avgörande roll för att stärka föräldraskapet.

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Denna forskning genomfördes under åren 2000–2004. Forskningssammanhanget är både Lesbiska studier och IMER forskning. I avhandlingen studeras livserfarenheter som 21 lesbiska informanter från 15 olika länder, alla invandrare i Sverige, berättar om. Utgångspunkten för forskningen är sexualitet och migration. De övergripande forskningsfrågorna är: Genom vilka processer blir kvinnor medvetna om sin sexuella dragning till kvinnor? Hur ”lär” de sig att leva lesbiskt, samt inom vilket socialt sammanhang sker dessa processer? Forskningsfrågorna belyses genom de livserfarenheter som de 21 lesbiska informanterna berättar om. Analysen görs genom fokusering på det samband och den växelverkan som fi nns mellan lesbiskhet och migration i datamaterialet. Studien är etnografi sk och kvalitativ. Den narrativa metoden används för inhämtning av det empiriska materialet, vilket består av utskrivna intervjuer och anteckningar från deltagande observation. Analysen görs med hjälp av teorier om sociala relationer, heteronormativitet, stigmatisering, aktörskap och migration. Studien visar att informanternas erfarenheter av stigmatisering och marginalisering liknar varandra oavsett i vilket samhälle de växt upp. Marginaliseringen av lesbiska kvinnor hänger till stor del samman med en samhällsstruktur som förtrycker kvinnlig sexualitet. Det är genom komma-ut-processen som den lesbiska kvinnan ”lär” sig att ”vara” lesbisk. Stigmatisering är det sociala sammanhang i vilket den lesbiska kvinnan blir medveten om sin sexuella orientering. Genom sitt aktörskap ändrar den lesbiska kvinnan sin sociala position i marginalen och växer som ett självständigt och stolt lesbiskt subjekt. Detta leder henne till att söka sig till andra homosexuella (kvinnor och män). Känslan av grupptillhörighet baserad på likartade livserfarenheter, som har sin grund i samhällets attityd till deras lesbiskhet är centralt för informanternas liv och avgörande för bygget av ett lesbiskt samhälle, oavsett etnisk och nationell bakgrund. Det lesbiska samhället (och gaysamhället) är internationellt. / This research was carried out during the years 200-2004. The theoretical basis of the thesis is found within the fields of Lesbian Studies and IMER-studies (studies of International Migration and Ethnic Relations). In the thesis the life experiences of 21 informants, originating from 15 different countries are studied. The 21 informants are all immigrant women living in Sweden. The point of departure of the research is that of sexuality and migration. The main questions of the research are: through which processes do women obtain consciousness about their lesbian orientation, how do they “learn “to “be” lesbians and within which social context do these processes take place? Answers to these questions are given through an analysis of the life experiences of the 21 informants. The analysis is focuses on the connection and the interaction between lesbianism and migration. The study is ethnographic and qualitative. The narrative method is applied to obtain the empirical material containing transcribed interviews and notes from participant observation. Theories of social relationship, heteronormativity, stigmatization, agency, and migration are applied. The study shows that the informants’ experience of stigmatization and marginalization are very similar irrespective of which society they grew up in. Marginalization of lesbian women is very much a consequence of social structure, which oppresses female sexuality. It is through the coming out process that lesbian women “learn” to “be” lesbian. Stigmatization is the social context in which the lesbian women becomes aware of her sexual orientation and grows into conscious lesbian. It is through conscious action (agency) that she alters her social position in the margin and becomes an independent and proud lesbian subject. In the course of this process she seeks contact with other homosexuals (women and men) and she develops a sense of belonging to a group of people who share similar life experiences of stigmatization on the grounds of their homosexuality. This feeling is crucial for the establishment of a lesbian community, irrespective of ethnic and national background. The lesbian community (and gay community as a whole) is international.

This dissertation examines changes in the meaning of family and what this reveals about the complex, socially grounded mechanics of meaning-making more generally. Examining the discourse from interviews with 23 gay and lesbian parents, I show that they have very concrete and definable ideologies of family that reflect an American/ Western concept of kinship in which family is made up of those who are related by blood, marriage or adoption; as well as an understanding that family can also be chosen and therefore outside of traditional biogenetic structures. For these men and women, family of choice and the dominant American kinship structure are not mutually exclusive. Through an analysis of the participants' definitions of family, this dissertation finds that the parents gave both a narrow definition (that which includes only blood and legal relationships) and a broad definition (that which includes those not related by blood, marriage or adoption). Based on these definitions, both from the participants themselves and from those who have spoken out nationally against same-sex marriage and parenting, I apply Lakoff's Prototype Theory to offer a way to understand the disconnection between those who believe being gay and being a parent are incompatible, and those who see it as one of many types of family that do not conform to a dominant ideology. I identify a prototype of FAMILY made up of two radial categories to account for two central, yet opposed, ideologies, separated solely by whether parents could be the same sex. I also discuss the parents' positioning of their narratives toward local and nonlocal interactants and their use of generic and personal features in their discourse. The parents both draw upon external influences and become meaning-makers themselves through negotiations of their family identities in the context of dominant ideologies of family that often regard them as illegitimate. The outcomes of the negotiations that the parents undertake do not reflect a new, radical kind of family on the whole, but often a traditional sense of family that sometimes gets more broadly defined to include a supportive network of family and friends. The discursive micro-shifts in definition that these parents perform inform our understanding of the bridge between local negotiations and global shifts in ideology. / text

Thesis advisor: Bernard O'Brien / This study investigated factors which influenced the stability of long-term relationships among twelve lesbian couples who had been together for at least fifteen years and reared children. A retrospective, semi-structured interview was used and each participant was interviewed separately. Themes related to relationship stability were identified prior to the interview and operationalized through the interview questions. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 1996. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental Psychology, and Research Methods.

This purpose of this study was fivefold: a)to examine the relationship between participants' reported number of positive lesbian and/or gay relationship role models their relationship outcomes (i.e., satisfaction, success, degree of closeness, and length of relationship); b) to explore the relationship between participants' level of internalized negative views of lesbian relationships and their own relationship outcomes; c) to investigate the relationship between participants' number of positive relationship role models and their level of internalized negative views of lesbian relationships; d) to examine whether participants who reported acceptance of negative stereotypes of lesbian relationships and had fewer role models also reported lower levels of interpersonal selfefficacy; e) and to investigate the relationship between participants' level of interpersonal self-efficacy and their relationship outcome (satisfaction, success, degree of closeness, and length of relationship). The study included 192 lesbian women (age 18-71 years; M = 30.6) who responded to five questionnaires: the Relationship Information Questionnaire, the Role Models Questionnaire, the Interpersonal Self-Efficacy Scale, the Internalized Negative Views of Lesbian Relationships Questionnaire, and a demographic information page. Results showed that there was no significant correlation between participants' reported number of role models and their relationship outcome (Hypothesis One). Similarly, the current study failed to find a relationship between participants' level of internalized of negative views of lesbian relationships and their own relationship outcomes (Hypothesis Two). In addition, there were no significant correlations between participants' number of positive relationship role models and their level internalized of negative views of lesbian relationships (Hypothesis Three). Furthermore, the correlation between role models and self-efficacy was not significant; however, there was a significant correlation between participants' self-efficacy and their level of internalized negative views of lesbian relationships (Hypothesis Four). The results indicated that participants' level of interpersonal self-efficacy is positively correlated with their relationship satisfaction, success, and degree of closeness. However, self-efficacy was unrelated to relationship length (Hypothesis Five). Possible explanations, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed. / Department of Psychological Science

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