ABSTRACT
Most lesbians and gay men today grew up in a family headed by heterosexual parents. As adults, lesbians and gay men often establish committed partner relationships. Increasing numbers of lesbians and gay men are becoming parents and raising children. Research about these different aspects of the family lives of lesbians and gay men-as children, as romantic partners, and as parents-is relatively new. Of the 1,521 articles published in the Journal of Marriage and the Family and the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships from 1980 to 1993, only 5 focused on some aspect of sexual orientation (Allen & Demo, 1995). In the past decade, however, there has been a noticeable increase in research on gays and lesbians in families.
