Maternal men – perverts and deviants? Making sense of gay men as foster carers and adopters

Hicks, S 2006, 'Maternal men – perverts and deviants? Making sense of gay men as foster carers and adopters' , Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 2 (1) , pp. 93-114.

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Abstract

This article examines discourses of gender and sexuality that feature in the social work assessment of gay men who apply to foster or adopt in the United Kingdom (UK). Using data from interviews with social workers and managers, the author argues that three versions of the category gay were dominant. In the first of these, gay men were imagined to be maternal and/or feminine. In the second, they were seen as a source of perversion and sexual risk, and in the third, they were assumed to present problematic models of gender. The author critiques these ideas, and argues instead for social welfare practices that reconsider and expand our notions of gender, sexuality, parenting, and kinship.

Item Type:	Article
Themes:	Subjects / Themes > H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) Subjects / Themes > H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman > HQ503 The family. Marriage. Home Subjects / Themes > H Social Sciences > HM Sociology Subjects outside of the University Themes
Schools:	Schools > School of Health and Society > Centre for Applied Research in Health, Welfare and Policy
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of GLBT Family Studies
Publisher:	Haworth Press
Refereed:	Yes
ISSN:	1550-428X
Depositing User:	Dr Stephen Hicks
Date Deposited:	02 Oct 2009 14:12
Last Modified:	16 Feb 2022 08:36
URI:	https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/2314

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