LGBTQ Divorce and Relationship Dissolution Psychological and Legal Perspectives and Implications for Practice

What unique challenges face LGBTQ individuals in relationships or who are separating or divorcing, especially now that same-sex couples may marry? What issues might complicate the ending of relationships when children, multiple partners, or multiple parents are present? How do gender, gender transition, ethnicity, immigration status, economic status, geography, and other characteristics shape the experiences of divorcing or separating LGBTQ people? Finally, how can therapists and lawyers most effectively assist LGBTQ people whose relationships and families are dissolving?

LGBTQ Divorce and Relationship Dissolution: Psychological and Legal Perspectives and Implications for Practice brings together social science and legal perspectives to examine the timely topic of relationship dissolution and divorce among sexual and gender minorities. The first edited book to tackle this topic in an informed, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary matter, this volume gathers and expands current knowledge on topics such as LGBTQ people's relationship and dissolution patterns; the divorce and child custody rules and processes that now apply to many LGBTQ families; and the surrounding political and cultural environment in the United States. It will also address practical issues such as mediation with same-sex couples who are separating or divorcing, financial planning, and family therapy for sexual minority parents and their children in the context of divorce/dissolution. With chapters contributed by leading scholars and practitioners from law, political science, psychology, sociology, and other disciplines, LGBTQ Divorce and Relationship Dissolution will be an invaluable resource for academics, practitioners, policymakers, and LGBTQ people. It will also be of interest to students in psychology, counseling, law, and LGBTQ and gender studies.

Abbie E. Goldberg is a Professor of Psychology at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her research and teaching focuses on diverse families, genders, and sexualities. She is the author of two books on LGBTQ parent families, and the co-editor of a book on LGBTQ parent families. She is also the editor of the Sage Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Studies. She has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Spencer Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Williams Institute, and other private foundations for her work on LGBTQ parent families and adoptive families.

Adam P. Romero is the Arnold D. Kassoy Scholar of Law and Director of Legal Scholarship at the Williams Institute, and is a Lecturer-in-Law at UCLA School of Law. His research concerns how the law shapes and responds to vulnerabilities, disparities, and discrimination in society. He is the co-editor of Feminist and Queer Legal Theories: Intimate Encounters, Uncomfortable Conversations. He successfully represented the plaintiffs in the first case in the nation to declare unconstitutional laws barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages in the veterans-benefits context.