Get Over Your (Legal) ‘Self’: A Brief History of Lesbians, Motherhood and the Law

Neither father nor biological mother. A qualitative study about lesbian co-mothers' maternity care experiences

“…One of her main concerns is that of legal definitions and the fact that lesbian mothers must conform to norms used in a heterosexual society to become visible. She says that they even challenge the common sense of what is "normal" or natural" (19). The empirical findings used to discuss lesbian maternity care experiences in this thesis (article III) are drawn from interviews with lesbian co-mothers.…”

“…According to Plummer (34, p39), conflicts related to the normative nature of motherhood, to parenting and parenting roles "go to the heart of what it means to be a human being". Beresford (19) argue that lesbian mothers are faced with challenges related to the general understanding of natural motherhood as privileged. Lesbian mothers represent non-conformity to this understanding, they "disrupt the taken-for-grantedness of heteronormativity" (130, p178).…”