1st Edition
The Social Science of Same-Sex Marriage LGBT People and Their Relationships in the Era of Marriage Equality
Showcasing research from across the social sciences, this edited volume seeks to provide readers with an empirically grounded sense of how many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people marry in the US and Canada, what their marriages look like, and how LGBT people themselves are impacted by marriage and marriage equality.
Prior to marriage equality, lawmakers and activists across the political spectrum debated whether same-sex couples should have the legal right to marry, and likewise, academic research to date has focused mostly on the politics of same-sex marriage. However, this edited volume focuses on LGBT people themselves and their intimate relationships in the era of marriage equality.
Including both quantitative and qualitative social science research, it features 14 primary chapters that examine a diverse set of topics, including demographic patterns in same-sex marriage and cohabitation, marital aspirations and motivations among LGBT people, arrangements and dynamics within same-sex relationships, and the legal benefits and informal privileges associated with marriage. The edited volume will be of interest to scholars across a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, psychology, child and family studies, communications, social work, and economics, while also offering valuable information for laypeople generally interested in families and/or LGBT studies.
1. From the Political to the Personal: LGBT People and Their Relationships in the Era of Marriage Equality – An Introduction
Aaron Hoy
Deciding to Marry: Who Marries and Why?
2. Population Perspectives on Marriage Among Same-Sex Couples in the US: Rates and Predictors of Same-Sex Unions
Claire Kamp Dush and Wendy Manning
3. Same-Sex Marriage in Canada: An Update
Hilary A. Rose
4. Marital Status Among Transgender Individuals in the US
Andrew S. London
5. Doing It for the Kids? Motivations to Marry and Perceived Effects of Marriage Among Lesbian and Gay Parents
Abbie E. Goldberg
6. LGB People’s Personal Ambitions and Political Attitudes Toward Marriage
Anna Bailey
Being Married: How Do LGBT People Approach and Experience Marital Relationships?
7. Support for Same-Sex Marriage: Families, Friends, Communities, and the Wedding Industry
Áine Humble
8. Gender Transition and Same-Sex Marriage: A Qualitative Consideration
Andrew S. London, Carrie Elliott, Rebecca Wang, Tre Wentling, and Natalee Simpson
9. "It Feels Like We’re Together as a Team": Communal Orientations Among Married Gay Men and Lesbians
Aaron Hoy
10. The Influence of Marriage and (Non)Monogamy Agreements on Relationship Quality in LGBT Relationships
Stephen M. Haas and Pamela Lannutti
11. Married Lesbians and Gay Men: How They Get Along with Their In-Laws
Judith Leitch and Geoffrey Greif
The Effects of Marriage and Marriage Equality: What Difference Does Marriage Make for LGBT People?
12. Changes in Legal Knowledge Across the Transition to Marriage Equality
Brian G. Ogolsky, TeKisha M. Rice, J. Kale Monk, and Ramona Faith Oswald
13. Marriage and Political Engagement Across Sexual Identities
Eric Swank
14. Exploring the Social Security Benefit Implications of Same-Sex Marriage
Michael S. Pollard and Italo Lopez-Garcia
15. Language Use and the Social Affordances of Marriage: An Exploration of the Experiences of Cisgender Gay Men
Nikki DiGregorio
Biography
Aaron Hoy, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where his research and teaching focus on families, sexualities, sex/gender, and aging and the life course.
