Empty spaces, new possibilities

Abstract

This article responds to contributions to the special issue of Lesbian & Gay Psychology Review, volume 7(1), on lesbian, gay, polyamorous and queer parenting and families. The author draws upon Foucault’s work to suggest that new relational possibilities might be imagined via the practices of lesbian and gay parenting. After briefly reviewing his own involvement in research on gay and lesbian foster care and adoption, the author goes on to discuss questions about gender role models, methodological debates on the nature of research knowledge, and the emergence of narrative/discourse analysis within lesbian and gay parenting studies. The author discusses and responds to a number of problems raised by the contributors, and emphasises an approach to gay and lesbian parenting studies based upon a discursive concern with power/knowledge.