Gender and Sexual Orientation in Family Therapy: Toward a Postgender approach

• Author: Martha J. Laughlin,Carmen Knudson‐Martin
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.0197-6664.2005.00009.x
• Published date: 01 January 2005
• Date: 01 January 2005

Gender and Sexual Orientation in

Family Therapy: Toward

a Postgender Approach

Carmen Knudson-Martin*Martha J. Laughlin

Abstract: We examine how the issues of gender and sexual orientation have been addressed in family

therapy and identify critical issues as the field defines itself in a postmodern, inclusive era. We show how

unintentional bias and creation of the category of ‘‘other’’ persist throughout the history of clinical prac-

tice despite a rise of interest in diversity. We suggest that family therapy approaches have been based on

a view of sex-gender that creates dichotomous categories, confounds gender and sexual orientation, and

limits flexibility. A postgender approach organized around a relationship model based on equality rather

than gender is advocated. Obstacles to postgender practice are identified, and guidelines for practice and

challenges for the future are discussed.

Key Words: couples, equality, family therapy, gender, sexual orientation.

Gender and sexual orientation are core organiza-

tional categories that shape human relation-

ships. Their meaning and consequences are at

once a focus of intense interest and debate and,

paradoxically, so taken for granted that much of

their meaning and impact remain hidden and

beyond conscious awareness. As the clinical field

that focuses on human relationships, marital

and family therapy (MFT) is intricately con-

nected to how therapists approach issues of gen-

der and sexual orientation. We examine the

history of MFT and identify critical current

issues related to gender and sexual orientation as

the field continues to define itself in a postmod-

ern, inclusive era.

We build on the fieldÕs contextual legacy,

viewing gender and sexual orientation as consti-

tuted within ongoing and changing interpersonal

and social processes rather than as individual traits

or group membership. First, we address why gen-

der and sexual orientation are important to the

practice of marital and family therapy. We then

examine how unintentional bias and creation of

categories of ‘‘other’’ persist throughout the his-

tory of clinical practice despite a rise of interest in

diversity during the 1990s. We conclude with

suggestions for how to move from ideas of diver-

sity and alternative forms to a more inclusive

postgender relationship model upon which to

base clinical research, ethics, and practice.

*Address correspondence to Dr. Carmen Knudson-Martin, Professor and Director of Doctoral Programs, Department of Counseling and Family

Sciences, Griggs Hall, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 93250 (cknudsonmartin@mft.llu.edu).

Family Relations, 54 (January 2005), 101–115. Blackwell Publishing. Printed in the USA.

Copyright 2005 by the National Council on Family Relations.