QUEERING FERTILITY: Experiences of Queer/Lesbian People Undergoing Fertility Treatment in a Heteronormative Society

Due to the increase in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other (+) (LGBTQ+) people seeking fertility treatments or the “Lesbian Baby Boom” (Amato & Jacob, 2004; Batza, 2016; Dunne, 2000; Simon et al., 1993; Mamo, 2013), in which 30% to 50% of women who identify as lesbians hope to become parents (Amato & Jacob, 2004), it is necessary to examine the relationship between a person’s sexual orientation and her experiences receiving fertility treatments. While fertility treatment from a heterosexual perspective has been studied at length, few studies have examined how LGBTQ+ people are treated in fertility clinic settings. In order to determine what role, if any, that sexual orientation plays in the treatment of LGBTQ+ people undergoing fertility treatment, this research analyzes 14 qualitative interviews of LGBTQ+ couples (22 participants total) who have undergone fertility treatments. Using both queer and feminist theoretical perspectives, this study demonstrates the ways that the larger hegemonic systems such as the heteronormative society and healthcare system of the United States, are reinforced through fertility clinic spaces and their non-inclusive policies and procedures. Lastly, this study highlights the ways in which LGBTQ+ people face marginalization in healthcare spaces, looking specifically at how that marginalization occurs in fertility clinics through the narratives of the participants