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...
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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
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_487
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