Frederick W. Bozett

Gay Fathers: How and Why They Disclose Their Homosexuality to Their Children.

Data collected by depth interviews reveal that many gay fathers disclose their homosexuality to their children. All but one subject reported that their children accepted them as homosexuals. Often the disclosure had the effect of deepening the father-child relationship. Gay fathers tend to be discreet regarding the overt expression of their homosexuality in order to protect their children from other peoples hostility. Some gay fathers do not disclose their homosexuality to their children. Nondisclosure may cause the father considerable stress, depending upon the intimacy of the father-child relationship and the centrality of the father identity to the man.

GAY FATHERS: Evolution of the Gay-Father Identity

Interview data from an exploratory study of 18 gay fathers indicate that identity congruence evolves over time as these men participate in both the world of fathers and the world of gays. Disclosure of each identity in the opposite world, and the acceptance of both identities by intimate others, are also crucial to the gay fathers achievement of self-acceptance.

Gay and lesbian parents

Foreword by Joseph Harry Preface Gay and Lesbian Parents Gay Fathers by Frederick W. Bozett Against All Odds: Lesbian Mother Family Dynamics by Barbara M. McCandlish The Children of Gay and Lesbian Parents Children of Gay Fathers by Frederick W. Bozett Children of Lesbian Mothers by Saralie Bisnovich Pennington Psychosocial Development of Children of Lesbian Mothers by Alisa Steckel Alternative Gay and Lesbian Families The Adoptive and Foster Gay and Lesbian Parent by Wendell Ricketts and Roberta Achtenberg The Gay and Lesbian Stepparent Family by David A. Baptiste, Jr. The Heterosexually Married Gay and Lesbian Parent David R. Matteson Psychosocial Implications and Legal Issues Considering Parenthood: Psychosocial Issues for Gay Men and Lesbians Choosing Alternative Fertilization by Cheri Pies Counseling Gay Husbands and Fathers by Brian Miller Lesbian Mothers: Mental Health Considerations by G. Dorsey Green Legal Issues in Gay and Lesbian Parenting by Rhonda R. Rivera Epilogue Gay and Lesbian Parents: Future Perspectives by Frederick W. Bozett Additional References Index

Social control of identity by children of gay fathers.

Deprecation and segregation of members of minority groups are common phenomena. The devaluation of gays is evident in a variety of ways, including laws that prohibit their full-fledged participation in society. For example, individuals who are known to be gay are not allowed to join the armed forces, and child custody can be denied because of parental homosexuality. Societal disapproval not only is experienced by gay persons themselves but is also felt by others who are related by blood or other strong bonds. Hence children whose fathers are gay may fear devaluation similar to that experienced by gays in general solely because of their ties to their father. This article, which is based upon selected research findings, describes a theoretical construct that presents identity-management strategies and the factors that influence their use that are used by children of gay fathers when they know their father is a homosexual. This research is an outgrowth of my previous research on gay fathers (Bozett, 1979,1981b), in which all but one ofthe subjects who had disclosed his homosexuality to his children reported that they were accepting of them as gay. Although there was no reason to discount their reports, subsequent research was necessary to obtain data directly from the children themselves.