The State of Studies and Research on the Homosexual Parent Family in Italy

The objective of this paper is a reflection on the state of the studies and research on homosexual parent families in Italy. We begin with a description of the cultural and legal context within which these new forms of parenting are now evolving to underline the need to overcome the Italian legal vacuum which has serious consequences for both the children and adults involved. We then wanted to emphasize the need to avoid old study paradigms of homosexual parent families who often faced homosexual parenting in relation to that of heterosexuals to arrive at a ‘paradigm of difference’ or rather an approach able to grasp and see the diversity and differences of homosexual parenting enabling it to take on all its challenges. In this optic, homosexuality is no longer a qualification of parenthood, but only one of the conditions within which parenting can be exercised.