The Change Mariner

Lesbian Moms a Growing U.S. Phenomenon

Yahoo! News:

"I love my lesbian moms," read a hand-lettered sign a teen-ager held up recently to motorists passing a county building in Portland, Oregon, where gay couples lined up to get marriage licenses.

The message, prompted by the heated national debate over gay marriage, underscored a growing phenomenon -- lesbian couples having babies and raising families.

According to the Family Pride Coalition, a national advocacy group for gay and lesbian families, some 9 million children in America have at least one gay parent and one in five lesbian coupled households include a child under 18.

"I wouldn't call it a baby boom exactly. It has been steadily growing all along," said Aimee Gelnaw, a lesbian mother of two and executive director of the coalition.

Using artificial insemination to get pregnant, lesbians are four times more likely to have children than gay men.

"Same-sex couples and single women are 40 percent of our business, and it is the fastest-growing segment," said Marla Eby, vice president of marketing at California Cryobank Inc., Los Angeles, which ships semen nationwide.

Posted by Timothy Fredel at May 25, 2004 03:56 PM | TrackBack
Related Categories: Area - Social - Gay Rights | Quadrant - Social

Growing Up in a Lesbian Family: Effects on Child Development
Guilford Publications

Amazon Price:

For Lesbian Parents: Your Guide to Helping Your Family Grow Up Happy, Healthy, and Proud
The Guilford Press

Amazon Price:

Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up With Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents
Stonewall Inn Editions

Amazon Price:

Different Mothers: Sons and Daughters of Lesbians Talk About Their Lives
Pub Group West

Amazon Price: