Same-Sex Marriage Policies and Lesbian Family Life

This study investigates the relationship between marriage equality and its impact on parenting and committed monogamous relationships for lesbian women. Specifically, this study aims to explore how marriage equality, or the lack thereof, affects the daily lives of 21 lesbian mothers in 6 states across the United States. Following an examination of the discourse surrounding same-sex marriage, research on lesbian family dynamics is discussed. Notably, how marriage equality or lack thereof matters in the lives of lesbian families necessarily includes attention to the day-to-day experiences in such families. Narratives from this study illustrate that for this sample of lesbian mothers issues of guardianship are most salient. Moreover, that attainment of legal marriage does not assuage these hardships. Results and implications are discussed within the framework of legal consciousness.