Procreational Intentions of young Homosexual and Bisexual Men in Lithuania

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Procreational Intentions of young Homosexual and Bisexual Men in Lithuania

Journal Title: KultŁ«ra ir visuomenė. SocialiniŁ³ tyrimŁ³ Ł¾urnalas - Year 2014, Vol 5, Issue 3

Abstract

Although homosexual and bisexual men’s intentions and rights to form a family and raise children are still an object of public debate, this topic has not been previously studied in Lithuania. Using a qualitative research – 10 semi-structured interviews with 21–30 year-old homosexual and bisexual men – the article focuses on the content and expression of their procreational intentions and discusses social factors that model them. The results of the research indicate that young homosexual and bisexual men do not draw direct associations between their identity and having children and that they develop their emotional wellbeing through projected long-term relationships. Furthermore, their intention to have children is a merely political statement related to self-disclosure in their immediate environment. The research participants who had disclosed their sexual orientation discussed their future life scenarios in a more open and free way. They tended to resist the negative public opinion towards homosexual and bisexual persons in Lithuania and expected the Partnership Act that would allow them to legalize their cohabitation and consider children adoption possibilities to come into full force in the country. On the other hand, the research participants who hid their sexual orientation in their immediate environment considered various adaptation strategies including the possibility of having children with a woman or abandoning their intention to have children in the near future altogether.

Authors and Affiliations

Lina Šumskaitė

Keywords

EP ID EP121947
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.7220/2335-8777.5.3.3
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