© Columbia University Press
Gay Men Choosing Parenthood
Paper, 153 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-11797-5
$25.50
/ £15.00
March, 2004
Cloth, 153 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-11796-8
$83.50
/ £49.00
"I wish that there had been a book like this when I adopted my child. It was not a difficult decision for me to become a dad, but it was very complicated negotiating the foster care and adoption systems. Gay Men Choosing Parenthood will help other gay men who are deciding about parenthood to navigate this journey." — a gay dad
"I don't know why people make such a big deal about having a gay dad. To be honest I am kind of sick of talking about it. In my day to day life I don't think so much about having a gay dad. My dad is my dad—and he is a great dad—he just happens to be gay, that's all." — child of a gay dad
"This book is both an engrossing journey into the lives of gay male parents and a superb piece of scholarship on psychological resilience and self-determination. You will never view fatherhood and family life in the same way again!" — Robert-Jay Green, Co-Editor of Lesbians and Gays in Couples and FamiliesCalifornia School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, San Francisco
"[Mallon] provides insight into the emotions common to gay men who choose to become parents. His study should enlighten psychologists, policy makers and anyone working in the field of childcare and the legal and social institutions surrounding it." — Publishers Weekly
"An affirming book for gay fathers or fathers-to-be, written with an excellent balance between anecdote and clear, simplified research." — Youth Today
"Mallon examines the experiences of 20 gay men from New York and Los Angeles who became fathers without a female coparent in the 1980s. . . .The interviews and extensive bibliography make Mallon's a good purchase for academic libraries." — Library Journal
"Gay dads of any kind, or men hoping to become gay dads, will find inspiration among these stories of real parenting, gender politics, community responses, and the personal transformation that life with a child brings." — Advocate
"Important and much-needed chronicles of an emerging and evolving portion of American society, the queer family." — Jim Nawrocki, Update
"Gay Men Choosing Parenthood is well presented and easy to read... I found this book insightful and invaluable study into an area where there has been little research/" — Ian Harvey, Adoption & Fostering
"At long last, author Gerald Mallon has given voice to that unacknowledged vanguard of gay men who have stepped forward to parent children in need—without asking for anything in return but the opportunity to be loved by a child. This sensitive and timely book is required reading for all child welfare professionals and for gay men who are, or will be, parents. Drawing on an exhaustive review of research literature and social and legal policies, and enlivened by quotes from personal interviews, Mallon gives us an “everything-you-need-to-know” primer on gay male parenting--from strategies to becoming a father, to the realities of child rearing demands, and interacting with family, friends, and community." — James J. Kelly, PhD, LCSW, professor of sociology and social services, California State University, Hayward
"Mallon skillfully grounds the unique narratives of gay fathers in the complex contexts in which they parent. These include the culture of the gay community and the mothercentric cultures of the child welfare system, neighborhood, school, and pediatrician's office. Mallon's original and compelling work challenges our biases, informs our professional practice, and reminds us that our attachment to myths keeps children waiting." — Peg Hess, professor, University of South Carolina College of Social
Work
"Gerald Mallon's new book is a timely and important look at a rarely researched issue in family development, namely those gay men who choose parenthood. This work is comprehensive in scope and should contribute to a greater understanding of some of the issues and challenges faced by this pioneering group of gay men. I applaud the author's sensitive analyses and insightful conclusions which will inform future research agendas and practice models." — James Herbert Williams, PhD, E. Desmond Lee Professor of Racial and Ethnic Diversity, Washington University in St. Louis
"Gerald Mallon's book Gay Men Choosing Parenthood gives the reader an opportunity to explore the fact that no one has the right to be a parent , but anyone who has the desire and the ability to provide a safe and stable family for a child in need, should be able to provide that healing and that family. People may have problems with policy around gay parenthood, but once a family is formed, we must work to provide the holding environments to keep that family—and most especially those children—safe and sound. Fathers are often underrated and underserved in general, and the world at large and professionals whowork with families need to have an understanding of the challenges and how to provide support , especially for gay fathers." — Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao, DEO and Founder of Center for Family Connections, Massachusetts; author of Family of Adoption
"Though gay men have been fathers forever, gay men consciously having children in the context ofpartnered same-sex relationships is a recent social phenomenon. As men pioneer this new form offamily, there has been precious little literature to light the way. Gerald Mallon's book is a beaconfor scholars and researchers in this new field of study, but most of all, for gay men setting forth onthe journey to dadhood." — Terry Boggis, Director, Center Kids, the family program of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center