Although，onceagain，intheU.S.publicpoliciesarefractiousandcontradictory，lesbianandgayparentsaremorevisibleandorganizedtherethanelsewhere.EstimatesplacethenumberoflesbianandgayparentsintheU.S.betweentwotoeightmillion，andthe2000Censusrecordedthatthehouseholdsof34percentoffemalesame-sexcouplesand22percentofmalesame-sexcouplesincludeddependentchildren.Lesbianandgayparentsandtheirchildrenparticipateinnumeroussupportgroups，organizations，specialcampsandvacations，andsympatheticimagesandstoriesaboutthemappearfrequentlyinthepopularmedia.Gayparentshavealsomadegreatstridesinsecuringlegalrightsinmanystates，althoughasignificantbacklashisworkingtooverturnthesewhereitcan.Onestate（Florida）bansgayandlesbianadoptionexplicitly，severalothersdosoindirectly，andopponentsofgayparenthoodhaveintroducedproposalsforsuchbansinseveralotherstates.However，amajorityofthefiftystatesallowsingle-parentadoptionsirrespectiveofsexualorientation，six（includingthemostpopulous）expresslyallowsame-sexcouplestoadoptchildrenjointly，andmanyoftherestgrantsuchadoptionslocally.Perhapsunsurprisingly，theU.S.representsthevanguardingayaccesstocommercialARTservicesincludingspermbanks，eggdonors，andpaidsurrogates.LesbianshelpedtoorganizeandoperateseveralspermbanksintheU.S.，andLosAngelesishometoGrowingGenerations，theworld’sfirstsurrogacyagencyfoundedprimarilybyandforgaymen，whichservesaglobalclienteleofaffluentgaymenwhodesirebiologicaloffspring.
ParadoxesandPotentialofLesbianandGayFamilyGoals
Lookingbackwardoverthesedazzlinginternationalshiftsinsexualityandfamilyforms，lesbianandgaycampaignsformarriageandparentingrightscanseemasparadoxicalastheywereunpredictable.First，gaysandlesbiansbegantostrivefortherighttomarryattheveryhistoricalmomentwhenheterosexualmarriageevincedmanysymptomsofinstitutionaldecline.Heterosexualcouplesinmostadvancedindustrialsocietiesnowcohabitoutsidemarriagemorefrequently，marrylater，ifatall，divorcemoreoften，andspendagreaterportionoftheiradultlivesunmarriedthantheydidunderthemodernfamilyregime.Whereoncefreechoicemarriagemeantbeingfreetochoosewhoyouwouldmarry，nowitmeansbeingobligedtochooseif，when，how，forhowlong，andhowmanytimestomarryaswell.
Thedeclineofnearlyuniversalandlife-longmarriagesamongpresumptivelyheterosexualcouplesraisessignificantpolicyquestionsaboutwhetherandhowtorecognizeotherformsofintimateadultrelationships.Shoulddomesticpartnershipsbeavailabletoheterosexualaswellashomosexualcouples？Mustsexualunionsbethebasisfordomesticbenefits，responsibilities，andrights，orshouldthesebeextendedtootherformsofcommittedrelationships？Wouldlegalizingsame-sexmarriageunderminefamilyandsexualdiversityandfurtherdiscriminateagainstsingleadultsandtheirdependents？Advocatesandopponentsofsame-sexmarriagealikeholdvaryingviewsonwhetherallowingsame-sexcouplestowedwilldomoretostrengthenortoweakenmarriageasaninstitution.Inthisregard，itisstrikingthatheterosexualmarriagerateswerealreadycomparativelylowinthefirstnationsthatopenedtheinstitutiontosame-sexcouples，marriageconfersfewmaterialbenefitsinthesesocieties，andtheydonotdiscriminatesignificantlyagainstunmarriedcouples.Inotherwords，forthemostpartithasbeeneasierforsame-sexcouplestoachieveequalaccesstomarriagewheremarriagebearscomparativelylittlesocial，moral，andeconomicweight.