With the exception of the opening section, which is all my own, this article has been written in a kind of collaboration with authors from whose works and reports I have borrowed liberally, with permission. These include the majority report of the 1987–88 Executive Committee of the Child Custody Committee, Family Law Section of the American Bar Association, Professor Carol S. Bruch of the Martin Luther King, Jr. School of Law, University of California, Davis: Joanne Schulman, a gifted attorney who has researched, written and spoken extensively on the subject and the report of the Women's Legal Defense Fund on Joint Custody. Others are cited in footnotes.
In this commentary, Sheila Kuehl, the first openly lesbian or gay person to be elected to the California State Legislature, addresses the interface among science, social issues, and public policy in the arena of women's sexual orientation. She emphasizes the value of scientific research and analysis in informing policy makers, identifies specific ways that social scientists can influence policy makers, and suggests areas that would benefit from continuing and expanded research.
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