Health & health care for lesbian, bisexual and same sex attracted women

Fertility, Pregnancy & Parenting Issues

Legislative reform around Australia has gradually provided access for lesbians and single women to assisted reproductive services such as donor insemination and to adoption. In Victoria and South Australia restrictions continue allowing access only to heterosexual couples. This creates social, emotional and physical health risks for women seeking conception and also legal vulnerability particularly for non-birth mothers.

• Fertility and getting pregnant
• Parenting
• Children of same sex parents

Fertility and getting pregnant

More and more lesbians, particularly in couple relationships, are forming families. Conception methods include insemination of your known donor’s sperm at home or in a clinic, or insemination of an anonymous donor’s sperm in a clinic. You can see a GP to arrange pre-pregnancy tests such as for rubella immunity, and also to work out when you are ovulating and, if you wish, get a referral to a clinic for insemination.

Useful books:

Tomlins, Jacqueline. The infertility handbook. A guide to making babies. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2003.
This includes a chapter on single women and lesbian couples, which provides an Australian context for health and legal issues.

Pepper, Rachel. The ultimate guide to pregnancy for lesbians. San Francisco: Cleis Press Inc, 1999.

Information about health and legal issues for getting pregnant

Pride and joy: a resource for prospective lesbian parents in Victoria.
Produced by the Royal Women’s Hospital. Melbourne, 2003. Available from the Royal Women’s Hospital, Phone 03 9344 2000

Finding sperm donors:

Pinkboard Classifieds (Australian website)
See the classified section under parenting/sperm donors
http://www.pinkboard.com.au/cgi/Classifieds/

Australian Sperm Donor Registry
A database of donors, a fee is payable to access contact details of potential donors.
http://www.australianspermdonorregistry.net/

Support and information:

Prospective lesbian parents group
A Melbourne-based group for same sex attracted women planning pregnancy:
www.vicnet.net.au/~plpvic

Maybebaby group
A Melbourne-based group for same sex attracted women and men planning families:
Email: maybebabymelbourne@yahoo.com.au
Web: http://www.maybebaby.org.au/

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Parenting

There are many issues to decide on related to parenting including the parenting roles for each parent in the same sex relationship, the level of involvement or not if there is a known sperm donor, and the degree to which each of the adults involved with parenting is legally recognised. The laws governing parenting rights differ in each Australian state. In some states (WA, ACT) the female partner of the birth mother can appear on the child’s birth certificate from birth, deeming her to be a parent. In other states (NSW, Tas) the partner can apply to adopt her partner’s biological child. In other states (Vic, SA) this is not yet possible.

Further decisions involve seeking out sensitive educational facilities from playgroups to pre-school to school. Many parents choose to be open about their family structure with education providers, and some assist their chosen schools by providing children’s books and other information about their families.

While negative community attitudes towards same sex parented families persist, most families find support from selected friends, family and neighbours.

Useful books:

Bourne, Kate. ‘Sometimes it takes three to make a baby’ Melbourne IVF. And ‘How I began: the story of donor insemination’ Melbourne IVF

Family support:

Rainbow Families Council (RFC)
The RFC is a Victorian-based group run by and for LGBTI-parented families. It advocates for legal changes, and runs conferences every 18 months or so in Melbourne. These provide an opportunity to meet, find resources, hear presentations and workshops.
Web: http://www.rainbowfamilies.org.au

The Bouverie Centre, Victoria’s Family Institute
A public centre offering counselling for families. This is a lesbian and gay sensitive service.
50 Flemington Street, Flemington 3031
Phone:9376 9844
email: bouverie.centre@latrobe.edu.au
Web: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/bouverie/

Drummond Street Relationship Centre
Provides counselling for individuals, couples and families. A lesbian and gay focus is being developed by the centre
195 Drummond St, Carlton,
03 9663 6733
www.drummondstreet.com.au

Resources:

Talking Turkey
A legal guide on same sex parenting, which has been produced by the Inner City Legal Centre in Sydney. This has been updated in 2005. Available at
www.iclc.org.au/talking_turkey/
Talking Turkey [pdf]

We're here - a resource for childcare workers.
A booklet written by members of the lesbian parents playgroups in the City of Darebin, Victoria, 2001. Available from Darebin Community Health Centre (ph. 03 9478-5711) or download from http://www.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/LED/CEIEC/resources.html in ‘other publications’
Were Here Child carers resource [pdf]

Learn to Include
A series of pre-school children’s story books about a lesbian family. There is also a teacher’s manual.
Available at www.hotkey.net.au/~learn_to_include/
Learn to Include teachers manual [pdf]

Information:

Victorian Law Reform Commission Inquiry into ART and Adoption
This inquiry has been underway since 2003 and will be releasing the final recommendations early 2006. This has involved commissioned research papers, a series of extensive community consultations, and the release of three issues papers.
Web: www.lawreform.vic.gov.au

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Children of same sex parents

A wide range of studies from around the world have shown that children who grow up in families with same sex parents do just as well as children with heterosexual parents. There is some evidence that these children have some advantages such as being more aware and respectful of diversity.

Many lesbian parents worry that their children will be subject to bullying about their family at school. Children do experience negative attitudes from peers, particularly in early high school. However, adults with lesbian parents, looking back on their childhood do not recall any higher levels of bullying than those from heterosexual parented families.

Viv Ray* has been involved in supporting children with lesbian and gay parents for many years. She has suggested a range of methods that are be used by lesbian and gay families to overcome a homophobic environment for their children:
• emphasising children’s pride in their family and feeling special
• discussing each family member’s level of comfort about being ‘out’
• being sensitive to the changing needs of the child as they develop
• advocating on behalf of their children to improve the inclusion of diversity at pre-schools and schools
• participating in lesbian and gay parenting support groups so that children can meet others from similar families
• actively connecting with the lesbian and gay parenting community through participation in Pride marches and conferences

Children’s books:

Brenna and Vicki Harding. ‘My House’, ‘Going to Fair Day’, ‘The Rainbow Cubby House’, ‘Koalas on Parade’. Vicki Harding, Bulldog books, Sydney 2002
Available at www.hotkey.net.au/~learn_to_include/

Tamara Arc-Decker. ‘Bedtime for Baby Teddy’. Rainbow Baby Books, Melbourne, 2001.

Resources:

Ray, Viv. Fostering resilience in children of lesbian and gay families (Fact Sheet No. Number 2.1). Melbourne: Australian Drug Foundation, 2003.

Millbank, J. Meet the Parents: A Review of the Research on Lesbian and Gay Families. Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (NSW), 2002. Available from: URL:
http://www.glrl.org.au/pdf/major_reports/meet_the_parents.pdf
Meet the parents [pdf]

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