“This is our family. We do not hide who we are”: Stigma and disclosure decisions of lesbian parents in Australian early childhood settings

Kathy Cloughessy*, Manjula Waniganayake, Harry Blatterer

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    12 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This article discusses findings from a study that examined how lesbian parents make disclosure decisions in early childhood (EC) settings. Using an online survey, 62 lesbian parents in Australia shared their experiences of EC settings. Follow-up interviews with 13 parents enabled an in-depth exploration of their decisions. Disclosure in EC settings featured 3 themes: appraisal, resistance, and provocation. These parents used disclosure as a litmus test to enable them to assess the suitability and selection of EC settings. Decisions were also motivated by the parents' desire to resist secrecy and shame, often associated with sexuality, by role modelling to promote their children's resilience. Parents hoped their disclosure would provoke educators to be perceptive and proactive in their work with children and families. The fear of stigmatization related to sexuality and the presence of their children shifted the disclosure practises of lesbian parents, making it more likely. Overall, the parents in this study used disclosure in purposeful and intentional ways to reduce the likelihood of stigmatizing interactions in EC settings, by provoking educators to challenge heteronormative understandings of family.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)381-399
    Number of pages19
    JournalJournal of GLBT Family Studies
    Volume14
    Issue number4
    Early online date1 Sept 2017
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2018

    Keywords

    • lesbian parents
    • early childhood
    • queer theory
    • goffman
    • disclosure
    • stigma

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of '“This is our family. We do not hide who we are”: Stigma and disclosure decisions of lesbian parents in Australian early childhood settings'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this