Transracial Parenting: Race, Gender, Sexuality and the Lawsuit
Location
CSU 201
Start Date
20-4-2015 1:05 PM
End Date
20-4-2015 2:05 PM
Student's Major
Gender and Women's Studies
Student's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor's Name
Shannon Miller
Mentor's Email Address
shannon.miller@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Gender and Women's Studies
Mentor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description
In 2014, a white lesbian couple filed a wrongful birth lawsuit against a sperm bank after they were accidentally given sperm from a black male resulting in the birth of their biracial daughter. This issue received significant attention in the news and popular media from those who were for and against their decision to sue. For this research project, we scoured scholarly and popular cultural media to identify main arguments for these opposing positions. We found that those in favor of the decision to sue interpreted the event as a failed business transaction and sympathized with the couple's lack of agency. Those opposed argued that this suit is damaging to the child and speaks to the lower value of black bodies in our society. This is also a relevant subject for heterosexual white parents with biracial and black children. Recently, in Savage, Minnesota, a white heterosexual father gained media attention for publicly defending his black daughter who experienced racist bullying from peers in her community. Overall, our research sparked a multifaceted analysis regarding white privilege, middle-class privilege, and color-blind racism. Our research findings are important for understanding these social phenomena, and being able to recognize their occurrence is the first step in combatting structural inequality.
Transracial Parenting: Race, Gender, Sexuality and the Lawsuit
CSU 201
In 2014, a white lesbian couple filed a wrongful birth lawsuit against a sperm bank after they were accidentally given sperm from a black male resulting in the birth of their biracial daughter. This issue received significant attention in the news and popular media from those who were for and against their decision to sue. For this research project, we scoured scholarly and popular cultural media to identify main arguments for these opposing positions. We found that those in favor of the decision to sue interpreted the event as a failed business transaction and sympathized with the couple's lack of agency. Those opposed argued that this suit is damaging to the child and speaks to the lower value of black bodies in our society. This is also a relevant subject for heterosexual white parents with biracial and black children. Recently, in Savage, Minnesota, a white heterosexual father gained media attention for publicly defending his black daughter who experienced racist bullying from peers in her community. Overall, our research sparked a multifaceted analysis regarding white privilege, middle-class privilege, and color-blind racism. Our research findings are important for understanding these social phenomena, and being able to recognize their occurrence is the first step in combatting structural inequality.
Recommended Citation
Fry, Laura. "Transracial Parenting: Race, Gender, Sexuality and the Lawsuit." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 20, 2015.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2015/oral_session_07/4
