ABBIE E. GOLDBERG,LORI A. KINKLER,HANNAH B. RICHARDSON, AND JORDAN B. DOWNING Clark University Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Couples in Open Adoption Arrangements: A Qualitative Study Little research has attended to the role of gender and sexual orientation in shaping open adoption dynamics. This qualitative, longitudinal study of 45 adoptive couples (15 lesbian, 15 gay, and 15 heterosexual couples) examined adopters’ motivations for open adoption, changes in atti- tudes about openness, and early relationship dynamics. Key findings revealed that hetero- sexuals often described feeling drawn to open adoption because they perceived it as the only option, insomuch as few agencies were facilitat- ing closed adoptions. In contrast, sexual minori- ties often appreciated the philosophy of openness whereby they were not encouraged to lie about their sexual orientation in order to adopt. Atti- tudes about openness varied over time, and changes in attitudes were attributed to a variety of factors such as perceived birth parent char- acteristics and the perceived nature of the birth parent relationship. Overall, although some par- ticipants reported tensions with birth parents over time, most reported satisfying relationships. A literature on open adoption is gradually emerging (Wolfgram, 2008). Open adoptions are characterized by varying degrees of information Department of Psychology, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester MA 01610 (agoldberg@clarku.edu; lkinkler@clarku.edu; hrichardson@clarku.edu; jdowning@clarku.edu). This article was edited by Ralph LaRossa. Key Words: adoption, gay, gender, lesbian, longitudinal, qualitative. exchange (e.g., letters, pictures, visits) between birth and adoptive parents, before or after the adoption (Grotevant, McRoy, Elde, & Fravel, 1994). Much of the existing research has focused on the perceived benefits of open adoption from the perspectives of adoption agencies (Henney, McRoy, Ayers-Lopez, & Grotevant, 2003), birth parents (Henney, Ayers-Lopez, Mack, McRoy, & Grotevant, 2007; McRoy, Grotevant, & White, 1988), adoptive parents (McRoy et al.; Siegel, 1993, 2003, 2008), and adopted children (Berge, Mendenhall, Wrobel, Grotevant, & McRoy, 2006; Gross, 1993; McRoy et al.). Topically, research on open adoption has focused on attitudes about openness (Berry, 1993; Siegel, 1993, 2003, 2008), changes in open adoption arrangements over time (Berry, Cavazos Dylla, Barth, & Needell, 1998; Crea & Barth, 2009), and challenges in adoptive – birth parent relationships (McRoy et al.; Siegel, 2008). Despite the rich nature of the open adoption literature, it has been limited in several key ways. First, little research has attended to the gendered nature of the adoption process, that is, the role of gender in the perspectives and experiences of members of the adoptive kinship network (adoptive parents, birth parents, and adopted children; Freeark et al., 2005). Gender theory suggests that gendered norms and practices shape individual experience and family formation (Connell, 1987; Risman, 2004). Both men and women may internalize gendered norms such that certain activities (e.g., caregiving) are perceived as primarily female or 502 Journal of Marriage and Family 73 (April 2011): 502 – 518 DOI:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00821.x