Paternity and lesbian parented families

Many people assume that children with lesbian parents have no access to a paternal adult figure. This obscures a complex reality. Many lesbians have had children in previous heterosexual relationships and share amicable postseparation or divorce child rearing arrangements with their children's biological fathers. In the past decade, planned parenthood in the context of lesbian relationships has increased in popularity. Despite the frequent absence of a traditional father, many lesbian mothers by donor insemination believe in the importance of appropriate 'male role models' for their children of both sexes. These men may be the biological father where the sperm donor is known, but can also be extended family members or other male adult friends. In this paper the author considers the significance of paternity to lesbian parents via three case studies assembled from qualitative data.