Tolerance Versus Support: Perceptions of Residential Community Climate Among LGB Parents
| Date | 01 February 2018 |
| Author | Jenifer K. McGuire,Jasmine M. Routon,Elizabeth Grace Holman,Ramona Faith Oswald |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12292 |
| Published date | 01 February 2018 |
R F O J M. R University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
J K. MG University of Minnesota
E G H Bowling Green State University
Tolerance Versus Support: Perceptions
of Residential Community Climate Among LGB
Parents
Objective: To understand which aspects of res-
idential communities are most salient for deter-
mining whether sexual minority parents classify
their residential community climates as tolerant
versus supportive.
Background: Metropolitan hubs for lesbian,
gay, and bisexual (LGB) parents are well estab-
lished, but less is known about nonmetropolitan
community climates for LGB parents. Residen-
tial community climate toward nonmetropolitan
LGB persons may be particularly important to
LGB parents because of the potential inuences
on child and family well-being.
Method: Open- and closed-ended survey data
from a sample of 55 LGB parents werecollected
along with publically available data regarding
their residential communities. Self-reported res-
idential community climate (tolerant vs. sup-
portive) and community involvement, as well
as objective county and municipal climate were
analyzed.
Results: Compared with LGB parents who
perceived their communities to be tolerant
Department of Human Development and Family Studies,
263 Bevier Hall, MC-180, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
61801 (roswald@illinois.edu).
Key Words: Community climate, community involvement,
LGB families, LGB parents, religion, support, tolerance.
(n=38), parents who considered their residen-
tial communities to be supportive (n=17) were
more likely to live in counties characterized
by legal support and broad social acceptance,
were personally more likely to participate in
LGB-focused social and political activities,
had children with more exposure to other LGB
families, and attended church less frequently.
Conclusion: Having basic features of equity
such as city ordinances and LGB organizations
provides a foundation for tolerance in a commu-
nity; however, individuals in a community must
access personal and social supports and activ-
ities beyond work and church to feel truly sup-
ported.
Implications: LGB parents’ perceptions of
climate reveal specic community features that
need to be strengthened to promote family
well-being.
The United States is increasingly tolerant of les-
bian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) parents and their
children (Twenge, Carter, & Campbell, 2015).
Tolerance is the belief that stigmatized groups
should be allowed public expression and that
social differences should be allowed even when
viewed as disagreeable (Twenge et al., 2015).
Recent Supreme Court rulings such as Oberge-
fell v.Hodges (2015) that granted marriage rights
Family Relations 67 (February 2018): 41–54 41
DOI:10.1111/fare.12292
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