Courting Change : Queer Parents, Judges, and the Transformation of American Family Law / Kimberly D. Richman.
2008
KF540 .R53 2009
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Details
Title
Courting Change : Queer Parents, Judges, and the Transformation of American Family Law / Kimberly D. Richman.
ISBN
9780814777442
Published
New York, NY : : New York University Press, [2008]
Copyright
©2008
Language
English
Language Note
In English.
Description
1 online resource : 3 black and white illustrations
Other Standard Identifiers
10.18574/nyu/9780814777442.001.0001 doi
Call Number
KF540 .R53 2009
Dewey Decimal Classification
346.7301/7
Summary
Winner of the 2010 Pacific Sociological Association Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship AwardA lesbian couple rears a child together and, after the biological mother dies, the surviving partner loses custody to the child's estranged biological father. Four days later, in a different court, judges rule on the side of the partner, because they feel the child relied on the woman as a "psychological parent." What accounts for this inconsistency regarding gay and lesbian adoption and custody cases, and why has family law failed to address them in a comprehensive manner?In Courting Change, Kimberly D. Richman zeros in on the nebulous realm of family law, one of the most indeterminate and discretionary areas of American law. She focuses on judicial decisions-both the outcomes and the rationales-and what they say about family, rights, sexual orientation, and who qualifies as a parent. Richman challenges prevailing notions that gay and lesbian parents and families are hurt by laws' indeterminacy, arguing that, because family law is so loosely defined, it allows for the flexibility needed to respond to-and even facilitate - changes in how we conceive of family, parenting, and the role of sexual orientation in family law.Drawing on every recorded judicial decision in gay and lesbian adoption and custody cases over the last fifty years, and on interviews with parents, lawyers, and judges, Richman demonstrates how parental and sexual identities are formed and interpreted in law, and how gay and lesbian parents can harness indeterminacy to transform family law.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
System Details Note
Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
Digital File Characteristics
text file PDF
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 18. Sep 2023)
Available in Other Form
print 9780814775950
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Table of Contents
Frontmatter
Contents
Acknowledgments
1 A Double-Edged Sword?
2 At the Intersection of Sexuality, Family, and Law
3 Negotiating Parental and Sexual Identity
4 Right or Wrong?
5 Talking Back
6 Conclusion
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
Appendix 5
Notes
References
Index
About the Author
Contents
Acknowledgments
1 A Double-Edged Sword?
2 At the Intersection of Sexuality, Family, and Law
3 Negotiating Parental and Sexual Identity
4 Right or Wrong?
5 Talking Back
6 Conclusion
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
Appendix 5
Notes
References
Index
About the Author