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On: Jul. 7, 2006
The Impact of Homophobic Public Discourse on Children and Youth Living in LGBT-Led Families: A Study of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate

Principal Organizations: Toronto District School Board ,Family Service Association
Principal Investigator(s): Rachel Epstein

The Canadian Government’s bill to change the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex couples has sparked massive public debate and an enormous homophobic backlash against same-sex families. This project coordinated a community-based research project to assess: a) the exposure of children and youth living with LGBT-led families to homophobic public discourse surrounding the Canadian same-sex marriage debate, and b) the impact of homophobic public discourse on the emotional health and well-being of children and youth living with LGBT-led families. The goal of this project was to work collaboratively with communities of LGBT parents and their children to develop innovative programming that addresses the needs of LGBT-led families to confront and effectively deal with homophobia/heterosexism.