July 2018

• Date: 01 July 2018
• Published date: 01 July 2018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12351
• Author: Robert E. Emery,Barbara A. Babb

EDITORIAL NOTES

JULY 2018

We are excited to bring our readers this July special issue of Family Court Review. This volume

features a series of truly insightful articles on developments in the law and social science affecting

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) parents, partners, and their children. We are

profoundly grateful to guest editors Charlotte Patterson and Carlos Ball. They have brought together

an amazing collection of authors who address a range of essential and rapidly evolving issues

affecting LBGTQ families.

Readers of FCR undoubtedly are broadly aware of many dramatic changes in the social and legal

landscape for LGBTQ individuals and families. Sweeping transformations in the recognition of

LBGTQ relationships and families have occurred rapidly in the course of a generation. In many

ways, the culmination of change has occurred with Obergefell v. Hodges and the resulting legaliza-

tion of same sex marriage. Yet, many readers may not appreciate fully the profound biases the

LGBTQ community has faced, and in many ways, still faces. If that is the case, the articles in this

special issue may enlighten and challenge you.

Patterson and Ball offer a detailed and thoughtful introduction to the key subjects discussed in

each paper. The only point we add here is that the articles address questions relevant not only to

LGBTQ families but also to law and society generally. Emily Kazyak, Kristin Scherer, Brandi Woo-

dell, and Emma Finken explore how the law in practice differs from the law on the books, a familiar

concern to FCR readers. Rachel Farr and Abbie Goldberg also address informal and often for mal

(particularly in the international context) prejudices in adoption policies and practices, a frequent

path to parenthood for LGBTQ families. Suzanne Kim and Ed Stein highli ght key issues in rela-

tionship dissolution for LGBTQ partners, highlighting how traditional concepts about gender roles,

which often do not apply in these families, nevertheless can influence social expectations and legal

decisions. Naomi Cahn and June Carbone address complex issues arising from new reproductive

strategies used frequently by LGBTQ parents, where children have three parents who may, or may

not, all fulfill key roles in a child’s life. Shannon Minter explores a variety of legal circumstances

relevant to transgender parents, who have benefited from legal and social changes surrounding same

sex parenting, but who still face special challenges. Finally, Amanda Baumle discusses evidence

based on her interview data on how attorneys have developed specialized practices relevant to their

work with LGBTQ families.

This issue of FCR also includes another special section, a paper and series of comments from a

mini-symposium on interdisciplinary collaboration in family law. Former FCR Editor-in-Chief

Andrew Schepard is the Siben & Siben Distinguished Professor of Family Law at the Maurice

A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. In conjunction with his Siben Chair, he has the abil-

ity to convene a gathering at Hofstra and to choose a lecturer. This year’s lecturer, enthusiastically

introduced by Andy in his introductory paper, is Forrest (Woody) Mosten. This special section of

the journal features an article by Woody Mosten and Lara Tramm, based upon Woody’s November

address as the Siben lecturer. Mosten and Tramm offer a wide range of examples and arguments for

increasing and embracing interdisciplinary teamwork in family law. These innovators recognize that

divorce involves not only legal issues but also social, emotional, and economic transitions. They

urge all professionals, especially lawyers, to adopt a holistic approach in working together to guide

divorcing families through this often complicated and painful process. Fittingly, an interdisciplinary

group of professionals, including psychology professor Paul J. Meller, family court judge

FAMILY COURT REVIEW, Vol. 56 No. 3, July 2018 359–360

© 2018 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts