Gay Men Choosing Parenthood

Gay parenting is a topic on which almost everyone has an opinion but almost nobody has any facts. Here at last is a book based on a thorough review of the literature, as well as interviews with a pioneering group of men who in the 1980s chose to become fathers outside the boundaries of a heterosexual union -- through foster care, adoption, and other kinship relationships.

This book reveals how very natural and possible gay parenthood can be. What factors influence this decision? How do the experiences of gay dads compare to those of heterosexual men? How effectively do professional services such as support groups serve gay fathers and prospective gay fathers? What elements of the social climate are helpful -- and hurtful? Gay Men Choosing Parenthood challenges a great deal of misinformation, showing how gay fathers from different backgrounds adapted, perceived, and constructed their options and their families.

Columbia University Press

Gay parenting is a topic on which almost everyone has an opinion but almost nobody has any facts. Here at last is a book based on a thorough review of the literature as well as interviews with a pioneering group of men who in the 1980s chose to become fathers outside the boundaries of a heterosexual union-through foster care, adoption, and other kinship relationships.

Library Journal

Marriage is a uniquely powerful institution that would bring stability to gays, and this stability would benefit all of society. This is the central point in Rauch's provocative book in favor of gay marriage. A writer for the Atlantic Monthly and National Journal, Rauch (Government's End: Why Washington Stopped Working) believes that civil unions are unacceptable because they do not bring the community support of marriage, and the possibility of civil unions would weaken marriage by making it just one option among several. Rauch addresses several of the opposition's arguments, e.g., that marriage is for procreation and that gay marriage will lead to polygamous marriage and beyond. Though he has a remarkably rosy view of marriage and lesbians are largely absent from the discussion, this is a timely and readable book that will provoke people on both sides of the argument. In a much more academic work, Mallon (social work, Hunter Coll.; Let's Get This Straight) examines the experiences of 20 gay men from New York and Los Angeles who became fathers without a female coparent in the 1980s. Mallon conducted extensive interviews with the men, discussing how they got their children, how they created a family, the responses of the community, and the implications of gay male parenthood for society. He illustrates his points with verbatim excerpts from the interviews. Interviewing men who became fathers so long ago allows Mallon to present the long view of raising children, but it leaves one wondering how things might be different for gay men becoming fathers today. The subject of gay fathers is rarely studied and has implications for child services. With the topic of gay marriage on so many minds lately, Rauch's book is recommended for all libraries. The interviews and extensive bibliography make Mallon's a good purchase for academic libraries.-Debra Moore, Cerritos Coll., Norwalk, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Gerald P. Mallon is associate professor of social work and executive director of the National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning at Hunter College School of Social Work. He is the author of numerous books, including Let's Get This Straight: A Gay- and Lesbian-Affirming Approach to Child Welfare (Columbia). He lives in New York City.