US National Lesbian Longitudinal Family Study - NLLFS

The largest, longest-running prospective investigation of American lesbian mothers and their children

In the News

NLLFS research in the news.

  • Parenting - Meet the Same-Sex Parents Next Door

    Read one mom's take on how gay parenting is becoming a part of America's social fabric

    Read Full Article

  • Discover Magazine – Top 100 Stories of 2010 #88: Same-Sex Parents Do No Harm

    by Amy Barth

    Ever since U.S. sperm banks began to accept lesbian clients in the mid-1980s, critics have argued that same-sex parenting could damage children's psychological well-being. In June a 25-year, ongoing study published in the journal Pediatrics came to a very different conclusion, finding that children of lesbian mothers experience healthy social, emotional, and psychological development.

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  • Eurasia Review — Children In Lesbian Families Report No Sexual Abuse

    Teenagers from lesbian families in the United States reported 0% sexual abuse by their parents or guardians.

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  • Medscape Medical News — Children in Lesbian Families Less Likely to be Abused by Parent, Other Caregiver

    Adolescents raised in lesbian families are less likely than their peers to be abused by a parental figure, according to new findings from the US National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study.

    Read Full News Story (free registration required)

  • Huffington Post — Child Abuse Rate At Zero Percent In Lesbian Households, New Report Finds

    Commentary on new NLLFS publication "Adolescents of the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: Sexual Orientation, Sexual Behavior, and Sexual Risk Exposure".

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  • Pediatrics — What Shall We Call Them?

    by Joseph F. Hagan, Jr, M.D., FAAP, Department of Pediatrics, University of Vermont

    Commentary on published article "The USA National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: Psychological Adjustment of the 17-Year-Old Adolescents."

    Read Full Commentary | Peer Review Forum | Abstract of Study

  • WebMD — Study: Kids of Lesbian Parents Are Well-Adjusted

    by Kathleen Doheny, Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, M.D.

    Researchers Say Children of Lesbian Parents Have Fewer Behavior Problems

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  • LA Times Opinion — Parenting should be a nonissue in gay marriage debate

    Supporters of Proposition 8 have made child-rearing a focus of the trial. But no other group is prohibited from marrying because of parental abilities, or lack thereof.

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  • Colbert Report — Testoster-Ruin, Hanna Rosin

    Stephen demands that lesbians stop creating good examples for our kids, microwaves his boxers and asks Hanna Rosin if men are still needed. (08:18)

    Source: Official Website |

  • NewScientist — Children of lesbian parents do better than their peers

    by Jim Giles

    The children of lesbian parents outscore their peers on academic and social tests, according to results from the longest-running study of same-sex families.

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  • Telegraph UK — Children raised by lesbians "have fewer behavioural problems"

    Children raised by lesbian parents develop into psychologically sound adolescents and have fewer behavioural problems than their peers, a long-running study has found.

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  • iVillage Health — Study: Kids of Lesbian Moms Do Just Fine

    by Karen Springen

    New research finds teens raised by lesbians may be better adjusted than many peers.

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  • Time — Study: Children of Lesbians May Do Better Than Their Peers

    by Alice Park

    The teen years are never the easiest for any family to navigate. But could they be even more challenging for children and parents in households headed by gay parents?

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  • HealthDay News — Kids With Lesbian Parents Do Just Fine

    by Serena Gordon

    Study shows they might even be better adjusted than kids from traditional families.

    Read Full News Story | Also Published on US News & World Report

  • Reuters — Children of Lesbian Couples Do Well in School, Life

    Being raised by a same-sex couple is no hindrance to healthy psychological development, researchers say as the first generation of children conceived by lesbians through donor insemination is coming of age.

    Read Full News Story | Also Published on Fox News

  • Yahoo! News - Kids raised in lesbian families better adjusted, study finds

    by Liz Goodwin

    A new study published in the journal Pediatrics has found that children of lesbian couples are better adjusted socially and academically than children from traditional families.

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  • ABC News - 'Gayby Boom' Fueled by Same-Sex Parents

    by Susan Donaldson James

    Post-1980s Children of Gay Parents Thrive in School, More Open Society

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