The Attribution of Parental Competence to Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Couples: Experimental and Correlational Results

This research examined the impact of sexual orientation on heterosexuals' judgment of parental competence. Using a vignette approach, Study 1 presented participants with a lesbian, gay, or heterosexual couple who desired to have a child, either as adoptive parents or, in an additional heterosexual target condition, as biological parents. Study 2 presented a lesbian, gay, or heterosexual parent couple; heterosexual targets were either adoptive parents, reflecting the LG target conditions, or biological parents. Contradicting Hypothesis 1, neither target sexual orientation nor way to parenthood (with the latter varied in the heterosexual target condition only) had an impact on parental competence attributions. Confirming Hypothesis 2, participants with personal contact with lesbian and gay (LG) people provided higher ratings of LG target parental competence, mediated by positive attitudes toward homosexuality. Importantly, this mediation did not occur in the heterosexual target condition, corroborating the specificity of the intergroup contact effect.

Fertility Preservation Legislation in the United States: Potential Implications for Transgender Individuals

Gender-affirming hormones may compromise gonadal function leading to subfertility or infertility. Fertility preservation (FP; i.e., egg and sperm "freezing") before starting hormones offers future options to transgender individuals. In the United States, FP is extremely expensive and rarely covered by medical insurance; state-specific laws govern required benefits. Recent changes in insurance mandates in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island have expanded FP coverage, but implications of these changes for transgender individuals are unclear. State-by-state advocacy to expand insurance coverage for FP in individuals whose medically necessary treatments compromise fertility should consider the needs of transgender individuals desiring biological parenthood.