Development and Initial Validation of the Perceived Heterosexism Scale and the Preoccupation with Disclosure of Parents’ Sexual Orientation Scale

Systemic heterosexism and adjustment among adolescents raised by lesbian mothers.

“…Adolescents' perceived heterosexism. The Perceived Heterosexism Scale (PHS; Vyncke, Julien, Jodoin, & Jouvin, 2011) was used to measure perception of peer heterosexism. Adolescents indicated the extent to which their peers endorse 10 items, each representing a common bias against lesbian-headed families (e.g., children of lesbian mothers will turn out to have emotional problems), on a 4-point Likert-type scale (1 ϭ Strongly disagree, 4 ϭ Strongly agree).…”

“…For instance, 41% of 78 American adolescents in the NLLFS study reported having been "treated unfairly because of having a lesbian mother," mostly within the school context (Bos & Gartrell, 2010;. Similarly, in a Canadian study, 69% of the 65 adolescents raised by lesbian mothers reported some level of negative beliefs about lesbianheaded families among their peers at school (Vyncke, Julien, Jodoin, & Jouvin, 2011). This takes place in a context of a strong negative climate regarding sexual diversity in the schools attended by the adolescents (e.g., Chamberland, Richard, & Bernier, in press;Kosciw, Diaz, & Greytag, 2008;Taylor & Peter, 2012).…”

Authenticating Family

“…Women may be better prepared to disclose to their children, if they know how age becomes a factor in their acceptance. This finding is supported by the research of Breshears (2011) and Vyncke, Julien, Jodoin, and Jouvin (2011) who noted that the most challenging time for children to accept their mother’s coming out is during early adolescence, whereas younger children adjusted to having a lesbian mother in a more seamless process. Foundational research about children and divorce supports the idea that children who are younger at the time of the new family development fair better over time (Schmeekle, Giarrusso, Feng, & Bengston, 2006; Wallerstein & Kelly, 1980).…”

“…In a study investigating the connection between perceived heterosexism and disclosure of mother’s sexual orientation, Vyncke et al (2011) found that while homosexuality is tolerated more now than in the past, the effects of heterosexism originating with peers were particularly worrisome for the children of lesbian mothers. For all of the reasons stated above, it is vitally important that we as a society, fully comprehend the impact of heterosexism as stigmatizing for lesbian stepfamilies.…”