A comprehensive 38-year longitudinal study, The U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study, is the longest-running prospective study on offspring conceived via donor insemination (DI), beginning in 1986 when it was first made available to lesbian women.
Nanette Gartrell, a visiting distinguished scholar at Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law, launched the study without grant support. At the time, national grants were unavailable for any studies related to LGBT subjects. This study tracked the development from birth through adulthood for the offspring of 75 lesbian-parent families.
Q&A with Esther Rothblum – What prompted the study?
In the 1980s, there were significant prejudices against lesbian mothers. People often assumed that the children would face identity confusion, mental health issues, and be more likely to identify as gay or lesbian. … Historically, lesbian mothers frequently lost custody battles against their heterosexual male partners or husbands. When DI became accessible in the mid-1980s, many lesbians opted for anonymous donors to secure their parental rights.
Continue reading at: https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2024/06/groundbreaking-38-year-study-offers-rare-perspective-on-children-of-lesbian-parents (Source)
Listening to Lesbians 