Name of Family Form
Lesbian couples
Synonyms
Gay affirmative therapy; Gay couples; Queer couples LGBTQ couples; Same sex couples
Introduction
The position of LGBTQ people in relation to the mental health professions has changed dramatically over the last 50 years. In 1952, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (DSM) first edition classified homosexuality as a sexual deviation and a form of mental illness (American Psychiatric Association 1952). In that context, even the phrase “lesbian couples” was self-contradictory and illegitimate. By 1973, homosexuality was taken out of the second edition of the DSM paving the way for decades of significant and dramatic improvements in the acceptance of queer couples and families culminating in 2015 when gay marriage became legal in all 50 states. Given the relative velocity of these attitude changes, it is important to remember that the professional literature on lesbian couples is nascent, covering only a rudimentary...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2009). AAMFT position on couples and families. http://www.aamft.org/Imis15/content/aboutaamft/position on couples.aspx
American Psychiatric Association. (1952). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Basson, R. (2002). Women’s sexual desire-disordered or misunderstood? Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 28, 17–28.
Corrigan, K.D. (2015). What does it mean to be married? Experiences of legally married lesbian couples. Doctoral dissertation. Retrieved from ProQuest (10003032).
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. The University of Chicago Legal Forum., 140, 139–167.
Diamond, L. M. (2008). Sexual fluidity: Understanding women’s love and desire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Fedewa, A. L., Black, W. W., & Ahn, S. (2015). Children and adolescents with same gender parents: A meta-analytic approach in assessing outcomes. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 11(1), 1–34.
Goldberg, A. F. (2010). Lesbian and gay parents and their children: Research on the family life cycle. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Green, R. J., Bettinger, M., & Zacks, E. (1996). Are lesbian couples fused and gay male couples disengaged? Questioning gender straightjackets. In J. Laird & R. J. Green (Eds.), Lesbians and gays in couples and families: A handbook for therapists (pp. 185–230). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Harvey, R., & Stone Fish, L. (2015). Queer youth in family therapy. Family Process, 54, 1–22.
Iasenza, S. (2010). What is queer about sex? Expanding sexual frames in theory and practice. Family Process, 49, 91–308.
Julien, D., Chartrand, E., Simard, M. C., Bouthillier, D., & Begin, J. (2002). Conflict, social support and relationship quality: An observational study of heterosexual, gay male, and lesbian couples’ communication. Journal of Family Psychology, 17(3), 419–428.
Mock, S. E., & Cornelius, S. W. (2007). Profiles of interdependence: The retirement planning of married, cohabitating and lesbian couples. Sex Roles, 56, 793–800.
Otis, M. D., Rotosky, S. S., Riggle, E. D. B., & Hamrin, R. (2006). Stress and relationship quality in queer couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 23, 81–99.
Powell, L., & Neustifter, R. (2012). An updated social context for therapy with elder lesbian couples. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 24, 213–229.
Rich, A. (1980). Compulsory heterosexuality and lesbian existence. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 5, 631–660.
Ritter, K. Y., & Terndrup, A. I. (2002). Handbook of affirmative psychotherapy with lesbians and gay men. New York: The Guilford Press.
Schumm, W. R. (2016). A review and critique of research on same-sex parenting and adoption. Psychological Reports, 119(3), 641–760.
Stone Fish, L., & Harvey, R. (2005). Nurturing queer youth: Family therapy transformed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Fish, L.S., Harvey, R. (2019). Lesbian Couples. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_487
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_487
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-49423-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-49425-8
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences