Guy/Lesbian Rights and Definitions of the Family 223exemplifies the preceding premise and counters many commonly held misconcep-
tions of gay and lesbian families.
In the United States, the number of lesbian mothers is estimated to range from
about 1 to 5 million and gay fathers from 1 to 3 million (Gottman, 1990). Many
lesbians and gay men who became parents within heterosexual marriages before
adopting homosexual identities are also becoming parents after coming out. There-
fore, it is likely that the preceding estimates minimize the actual number of homo-
sexual parents. Thus, it is imperative for social scientists and the general public to
take a closer look at the dynamics of gay and lesbian families. Tasker and Goloinbok's
(1995) longitudinal study of 25 young adults from lesbian families and 21 young
adults raised by heterosexual single mothers revealed that those raised by lesbian
mothers functioned well in adulthood in terms of psychological well-being, family
identity, and relationships. The commonly held assumption that lesbian mothers
will have lesbian daughters and gay sons was not supported by the findings.
Furthermore, young adults from lesbian family backgrounds were no more likely
to remember general teasing or bullying by their peers than were those from het-
erosexual single-parent homes. With respect to teasing about their sexuality, young
adults from lesbian families were more likely to recall having been teased about
being gay or lesbian themselves. No significant differences were found between
young adults from lesbian and heterosexual single-mother households in the pro-
portion who had experienced sexual attraction to someone of the same gender.
Moreover, the majority of young adults from lesbian backgrounds identified them-
selves as heterosexual. No significant difference between young adults from lesbian
and heterosexual single-parent homes were found for anxiety level as assessed by the
Trait Anxiety Inventory. The groups did not differ with respect to depression level
as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory. The study clearly indicates that this
sample of young adults who were raised in lesbian households did not experience
any detrimental effects as a result of their familial upbringing.
On the basis of a literature review on the children of lesbian and gay parents,
C. Patterson (1994) concluded that the development of these children was well
within normal limits. Patterson studied 37 4- to 9-year-olds and found only two
differences between children of lesbian and heterosexual parents: (1) children of
lesbian parents reported more symptoms of stress, but also (2) a stronger sense of
well-being. Lesbian mothers who did not conceal their sexual orientation and who
maintained supportive relationships with extended family members and adults in the
community were better able to protect their children from prejudicial experiences.
The author concluded that the common misconception that children of gay men
and lesbians were more likely to adopt a homosexual orientation was completely
unfounded.
Flaks, Ficher, Masterpasqua, and Joseph (1995) compared 3- to 10-year-old
children born to 15 lesbian families through donor insemination with those of
15 matched heterosexual families. The families were White, well educated, and
drawn from a fairly affluent population. As demonstrated by their performance