The inevitability of family change

A public lecture and international symposium was convened on the legal, social and health issues affecting lesbian and gay parents in Australia and overseas. This report presents summaries of the themes, discussions, and presentations of the symposium, which was held at the University of Melbourne in June 2007. The public lecture was on 'What children really need', by American professor Charlotte Patterson. The symposium featured three keynote papers: How the law fails lesbian and gay parented families, by Kristen Walker; The inevitability of family change, by Deborah Dempsey; and Children's rights, by John Tobin. Summaries of the public lecture and keynotes are provided. Roundtable sessions were held on gay men parenting, supporting separating families, creating families, accessing health and community services, and negotiating family relationships.