Where Is the “B” in LGBT Parenting? A Call for Research on Bisexual Parenting

Moving out of the Shadows: Accomplishing Bisexual Motherhood

“…Despite a growing body of research into lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) parenting (Goldberg & Allen, 2013), the "B" in the acronym LGBTQ has been rarely acknowledged and very little research has been conducted into bisexual parenting (Ross & Dobinson, 2013). Most large scale quantitative research projects on LGBTQ parenting have recruited self-identified lesbian or gay parents with little attention to issues of self-definition and variation in sexual self-identity thus rendering other groups of non-heterosexual parents largely hidden in research to date (Tasker, 2013).…”

“…In their call to expand research on bisexual parenting, Ross and Dobinson (2013) conducted a systematic literature review to find only seven papers reporting any considerations specific to bisexual parents. Specific bisexual challenges elucidated included: heterosexual passing (identified in various qualitative studies and first person accounts in the U.S. ACCOMPLISHING BISEXUAL MOTHERHOOD 9 (Arden, 1996) and Australia (Pallotta-Chiarolli, 2010 a&b)); feelings of invisibility (seen in a Canadian survey and small interview study of Canadian bisexual women in pregnancy and early motherhood Ross, Siegel, Dobinson, Epstein, & Steele, 2012); or studies detailing double discrimination experienced from both heterosexual and lesbian/gay social worlds (a qualitative study of bisexual women married to men in the U.S. (Moss, 2012) and a questionnaire survey and group interview study of attendees at the U.K. Bisexual Conference (Barker, Bowes-Catton, Iantaffi, Cassidy, & Brewer, 2008)).…”

Law and LGBQ-Parent Families

“…For instance, same-sex couples of color are much more likely to be raising children and are also more likely to be economically disadvantaged compared to their White counterparts (Moore and Brainer 2013); LGBQ parents are more likely to be economically disadvantaged compared to their heterosexual counterparts (Gates 2013); the regions with the highest percentage of same-sex couples raising children include the South and Midwest (Gates 2013); and the majority of LGBQ parents had their children in the context of a different-sex relationship (Goldberg et al 2013). Additionally, bisexual and transgender parents, along with polyamorous families are underrepresented in current research (Biblarz and Savci 2010) (for exceptions, see : Downing 2013;Pfeffer 2012;Ross and Dobinson 2013;Sheff 2010). Researchers should strive not only to include such diversity with regard to family structure and identity of parents in their sample, but also more clearly identify who is part of the sample in their publications (e.g., people in same-sex couples or people who identify as gay or bisexual).…”

“…Whereas LGBQ sexuality and parenthood have historically been understood as an oxymoron, sexual minorities are increasingly having children (Mezey 2015;Patterson and Riskind 2010;Ross and Dobinson 2013). The increasing presence of LGBQ-parent families, however, has outpaced legal definitions, as laws often still assume that families consist of a married heterosexual couple raising biologically related children (Richman 2009).…”

Narrating Self-Identity in Bisexual Motherhood

“…In highlighting the need for further research on bisexual parenting, Ross and Dobinson (2013) found just seven papers reporting any considerations specific to bisexual parents in their review. Previous studies and first person accounts have indicated that bisexual individuals desired parenthood as much as their homosexual and heterosexual counterparts, and also that they were perhaps even more likely to have children than gay and lesbian adults (Paiva, Filipe, Santos, Lima & Segurado, 2003;Wells, 2011).…”