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From “gay-marriages” to “queer-kinship”: dynamics of a research interest towards LGBT- and queer-families in 1963–2024
stmm. 2026 (4): 153-177
DOI
Full text:
MAKSYM KASIANCZUK, PhD, Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, Estonian Network of People living with HIV (Uus-Sadama tn 21, office 303, Tallinn, Estonia, 10120)
maxim.kasianczuk@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0701-3595
In the second half of the twentieth and the early twenty-first century, the expansion of legal recognition of same-sex partnerships and the redefinition of marriage as a gender-neutral institution were accompanied by a rapid growth of scholarly literature on LGBT and queer families. However, the idea of a simple exponential increase in this literature is overly reductive. This article conceptualizes publication dynamics as the outcome of an interaction between the internal accumulation of literature, political and legislative stimuli, institutional context, and terminological change.
The analysis covers annual counts of English-language publications—based on 26 keywords grouped into six thematic clusters—in Google Scholar and PubMed for 1963–2024. These counts were examined in relation to the accumulated body of previous publications, the annual number of political and legislative initiatives concerning same-sex couples in 105 countries, the averaged ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index, and nonlinear temporal dynamics. The conceptual framework is based on a modified version of F. Bass’s model of innovation diffusion.
The dynamics of scholarly attention to LGBT and queer families are clearly nonlinear. A long period of low publication activity before the 1990s was followed by acceleration in the 2000s, peaks in the 2010s, and subsequent deceleration for some terms. Generalized additive models confirmed the significance of wave-like publication dynamics. The strongest thematic wave concerned marriage; over time, however, scholarly attention shifted toward family, parenthood, kinship, queer family formations, and transgender issues. The internal accumulation of literature is one of the key predictors of the volume of new publications. Political and legislative initiatives often precede increases in publication activity by one or two years, with restrictive initiatives producing a stronger response than initiatives aimed at recognition. Institutional context is also associated with the frequency of legal and queer terminology.
The modified innovation-diffusion model is applicable to the analysis of keyword dynamics in scholarly publications, provided that external stimuli and lexical shifts are taken into account. For Ukraine, the findings have also heuristic value: the local discussion appears to follow a similar but delayed trajectory, moving from human rights and anti-discrimination frames toward partnership, family, children, care, inheritance, wartime vulnerability, and legal recognition.
Keywords: non-heterosexual families; time series; keyword dynamics
References:
"Our World" Center. (2017). The Right to Pursue Happiness. Kyiv. [=Центр «Наш світ». (2017). Право на пошуки щастя. Київ].
Bailey, N.W., Zuk, M. (2009). Same-sex sexual behavior and evolution. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 24, 8, 439–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2009.03.014
Bass, F.M. (1969). A new product growth for model consumer durables. Management Science,15(5), 215–227. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0264
Chamie, J., Mirkin, B. (2011). Same-sex marriage: A new social phenomenon. Population and Development Review, 37(3), 529–551. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2011.00433.x
de Solla Price, D.J. (1963). Little science, big science. Columbia University Press.
Downs, A. (1972). Up and down with ecology: The issue-attention cycle. The Public Interest, 28, 38–50.
Frickel, S., Gross, N. (2005). A general theory of scientific / intellectual movements. American Sociological Review, 70(2), 204–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240507000202
Goldberg, A.E., Allen, K.R. (Eds.). (2013). LGBT-Parent Families: Innovations in Research and Implications for Practice. New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4556-2
Grybanov, A., Danilevich, T., Zhylovets, Yu., Kasyanchuk, M., Kravchuk, A., Leshchinsky, Ye., Maimulakhin, A., Yudin, V. (2000). Blue book. The situation of gays and lesbians in Ukraine. [In Russian]. Kyiv. [=Грибанов, А., Данилевич, Т., Жиловец, Ю., Касянчук, М., Кравчук, А., Лещинский, Е., Маймулахин, А., Юдин, В. (2000). Голубая книга. Положение геев и лесбиянок в Украине. Киев].
Herek, G.M. (2006). Legal recognition of same-sex relationships in the United States: A social science perspective. American Psychologist, 61(6), 607–621. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.61.6.607
Hilgartner, S., Bosk, C.L. (1988). The rise and fall of social problems: A public arenas model. American Journal of Sociology, 94(1), 53–78. https://doi.org/10.1086/228951
ILGA-Europe. (2026). Annual Review of the Human Rights situation of lesbian, gay bisexual, trans, and intersex people, covering the period of January to December 2025. Brussels. Retrieved from: https://www.ilga-europe.org/files/uploads/2026/02/2026-ILGA-EUROPE-ANNUAL-REVIEW.pdf
Kasianchuk, M. (2023). Non-linear changes in public opinion regarding LGBT in Estonia and Ukraine. [In Ukrainian]. Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing, 4, 107–127. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2023.04.107 [=Касянчук, М. (2023). Нелінійні зміни громадської думки стосовно ЛҐБТ в Естонії та Україні. Соціологія: теорія, методи, маркетинг, 4, 107–127].
Kasianchuk, M. (2024). Dynamics and factors of public support for registered civil partnerships in Ukraine during the war years. In: Proceedings of the 20th Jubilee International Scientific and Practical Conference "Problems of Sociological Theory Development: Social Dynamics, Social Interaction, and Sociological Research in Wartime," December 1–2, 2023 (Kyiv) / Ed. by Yu. Saveliev, O. Ivashchenko, O. Vilkova, L. Males, A. Deineka, O. Mazuryk (pp. 152–156). [In Ukrainian]. Kyiv: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. [=Касянчук, М. (2024). Динаміка і фактори підтримки реєстрованого цивільного партнерства населенням України у воєнні роки. У: Матеріали ХX Ювілейної Міжнародної науково-практичної конференції «Проблеми розвитку соціологічної теорії: Суспільна динаміка, соціальна взаємодія та соціологічні дослідження в умовах війни», 1–2 грудня 2023 року (м. Київ) / За ред. Ю. Савельєва, О. Іващенко, О. Вілкової, Л. Малес, А. Дейнеки, О. Мазурика (сс. 152–156). Київ: КНУім. Т. Шевченка].
Kasianchuk, M., Korzhov, H., Varban, M. (2014). An Insider Among Outsiders, an Outsider Among Insiders: Bisexual Men and Their Female Partners in Ukraine. Research Report. [In Ukrainian]. Donetsk: International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine; Interregional Center for LGBT Research Donbas-SotsProekt. [=Касянчук, М., Коржов, Г., Варбан, М. (2014). Свій серед чужих, чужий серед своїх: Чоловіки-бісексуали та їхні партнерки в Україні. Науковий звіт про дослідження. Донецьк: МБФ «Міжнародний Альянс з ВІЛ/СНІДу в Україні», ГО «Міжреґіональний центр ЛҐБТ-досліджень Донбас-СоцПроект»].
Kasianchuk, M., Sheremet, S., Trofymenko, O. (2020). The state of same-sex partnerships in Ukraine. Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing, 3, 143–166. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2020.03.143 [=Касянчук, М., Шеремет, С., Трофименко, О. (2020). Стан одностатевих партнерств в Україні. Соціологія: теорія, методи, маркетинг, 3, 143–166].
Kuhn, T. (1975). The structure of scientific revolutions. [In Russian]. Moscow.
Maimulakhin, A., Kasyanchuk, M., Leshchinsky, E. (2009). Same-sex partnership in Ukraine. [In Ukrainian]. Kyiv. [=Маймулахин, А., Касянчук, М., Лещинский, Е. (2009). Однополое партнёрство в Украине. Киев].
Martsenyuk, T. & Yarmanova, H. (2012). Challenging Heteronormativity? The (Re)production of Gender in LGBT Families and the Search for Social Recognition. [In Ukrainian]. In: H. Yarmanova (Ed.), LGBT Families in Ukraine: Social Practices and Legislative Regulation (pp. 49–64). Kyiv. [=Марценюк, Т., Ярманова, Г. (2012). Підважуючи гетеронормативність? (Від)творення гендеру в ЛГБТ-сім’ях та пошук суспільного визнання. У: ЛГБТ-сім’ї в Україні: соціальні практики та законодавче регулювання / За ред. Г. Ярманової (сс. 49–64). Київ].
Monk, J.D., Giglio, E., Kamath, A., Lambert, M.R., McDonough, C.E. (2019). An alternative hypothesis for the evolution of same-sex sexual behaviour in animals. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3, 1622–1631. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-1019-7
Moore, M.R., Stambolis-Ruhstorfer, M. (2013). LGBT sexuality and families at the start of the twenty-first century. Annual Review of Sociology, 39, 491–507. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-071312-145643
Peres, R., Muller, E., Mahajan, V. (2010). Innovation Diffusion and New Product Growth Models: A Critical Review and Research Directions. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 27(2), 91–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2009.12.012
Pierson, P. (2004). Politics in time: History, institutions, and social analysis. Princeton University Press.
R Core Team. (2025). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Retrieved from: https://www.R-project.org/
Reczek, C. (2020). Sexual- and gender-minority families: A 2010 to 2020 decade in review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82(1), 300–325. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12607
Rogers, E.M. (1983). Diffusion of innovations (3rd ed.). Free Press.
Shcherba, D., & Diachenko, I. (2025). LGBT military personnel in Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War. NaUKMA Research Papers. Sociology, 8, 117–125. https://doi.org/10.18523/2617-9067.2025.8.117-125 [=Щерба, Д., Дьяченко, І. (2025). ЛГБТ-військові в Україні під час російсько-української війни. Наукові записки НаУКМА. Соціологія, 8, 117–125].
Shvedkova, A., Usmanova, M. (2017). Social and legal status of LGBT families with children in Ukraine. [In Russian]. Kyiv. [=Шведкова, А., Усманова, М. (2017). Социальный и правовой статус ЛГБТ-семей с детьми в Украине. Киев].
Young, L.C., Zaun, B.J., VanderWerf, E.A. (2008). Successful same-sex pairing in Laysan albatross. Biology Letters, 4(4), 323–325. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0191
Received 04.06.2026
Accepted for publication after review 02.08.2026
From “gay-marriages” to “queer-kinship”: dynamics of a research interest towards LGBT- and queer-families in 1963–2024
stmm. 2026 (4): 153-177
DOI
Full text:
MAKSYM KASIANCZUK, PhD, Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, Estonian Network of People living with HIV (Uus-Sadama tn 21, office 303, Tallinn, Estonia, 10120)
maxim.kasianczuk@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0701-3595
In the second half of the twentieth and the early twenty-first century, the expansion of legal recognition of same-sex partnerships and the redefinition of marriage as a gender-neutral institution were accompanied by a rapid growth of scholarly literature on LGBT and queer families. However, the idea of a simple exponential increase in this literature is overly reductive. This article conceptualizes publication dynamics as the outcome of an interaction between the internal accumulation of literature, political and legislative stimuli, institutional context, and terminological change.
The analysis covers annual counts of English-language publications—based on 26 keywords grouped into six thematic clusters—in Google Scholar and PubMed for 1963–2024. These counts were examined in relation to the accumulated body of previous publications, the annual number of political and legislative initiatives concerning same-sex couples in 105 countries, the averaged ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index, and nonlinear temporal dynamics. The conceptual framework is based on a modified version of F. Bass’s model of innovation diffusion.
The dynamics of scholarly attention to LGBT and queer families are clearly nonlinear. A long period of low publication activity before the 1990s was followed by acceleration in the 2000s, peaks in the 2010s, and subsequent deceleration for some terms. Generalized additive models confirmed the significance of wave-like publication dynamics. The strongest thematic wave concerned marriage; over time, however, scholarly attention shifted toward family, parenthood, kinship, queer family formations, and transgender issues. The internal accumulation of literature is one of the key predictors of the volume of new publications. Political and legislative initiatives often precede increases in publication activity by one or two years, with restrictive initiatives producing a stronger response than initiatives aimed at recognition. Institutional context is also associated with the frequency of legal and queer terminology.
The modified innovation-diffusion model is applicable to the analysis of keyword dynamics in scholarly publications, provided that external stimuli and lexical shifts are taken into account. For Ukraine, the findings have also heuristic value: the local discussion appears to follow a similar but delayed trajectory, moving from human rights and anti-discrimination frames toward partnership, family, children, care, inheritance, wartime vulnerability, and legal recognition.
Keywords: non-heterosexual families; time series; keyword dynamics
References:
"Our World" Center. (2017). The Right to Pursue Happiness. Kyiv. [=Центр «Наш світ». (2017). Право на пошуки щастя. Київ].
Bailey, N.W., Zuk, M. (2009). Same-sex sexual behavior and evolution. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 24, 8, 439–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2009.03.014
Bass, F.M. (1969). A new product growth for model consumer durables. Management Science,15(5), 215–227. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0264
Chamie, J., Mirkin, B. (2011). Same-sex marriage: A new social phenomenon. Population and Development Review, 37(3), 529–551. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2011.00433.x
de Solla Price, D.J. (1963). Little science, big science. Columbia University Press.
Downs, A. (1972). Up and down with ecology: The issue-attention cycle. The Public Interest, 28, 38–50.
Frickel, S., Gross, N. (2005). A general theory of scientific / intellectual movements. American Sociological Review, 70(2), 204–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240507000202
Goldberg, A.E., Allen, K.R. (Eds.). (2013). LGBT-Parent Families: Innovations in Research and Implications for Practice. New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4556-2
Grybanov, A., Danilevich, T., Zhylovets, Yu., Kasyanchuk, M., Kravchuk, A., Leshchinsky, Ye., Maimulakhin, A., Yudin, V. (2000). Blue book. The situation of gays and lesbians in Ukraine. [In Russian]. Kyiv. [=Грибанов, А., Данилевич, Т., Жиловец, Ю., Касянчук, М., Кравчук, А., Лещинский, Е., Маймулахин, А., Юдин, В. (2000). Голубая книга. Положение геев и лесбиянок в Украине. Киев].
Herek, G.M. (2006). Legal recognition of same-sex relationships in the United States: A social science perspective. American Psychologist, 61(6), 607–621. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.61.6.607
Hilgartner, S., Bosk, C.L. (1988). The rise and fall of social problems: A public arenas model. American Journal of Sociology, 94(1), 53–78. https://doi.org/10.1086/228951
ILGA-Europe. (2026). Annual Review of the Human Rights situation of lesbian, gay bisexual, trans, and intersex people, covering the period of January to December 2025. Brussels. Retrieved from: https://www.ilga-europe.org/files/uploads/2026/02/2026-ILGA-EUROPE-ANNUAL-REVIEW.pdf
Kasianchuk, M. (2023). Non-linear changes in public opinion regarding LGBT in Estonia and Ukraine. [In Ukrainian]. Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing, 4, 107–127. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2023.04.107 [=Касянчук, М. (2023). Нелінійні зміни громадської думки стосовно ЛҐБТ в Естонії та Україні. Соціологія: теорія, методи, маркетинг, 4, 107–127].
Kasianchuk, M. (2024). Dynamics and factors of public support for registered civil partnerships in Ukraine during the war years. In: Proceedings of the 20th Jubilee International Scientific and Practical Conference "Problems of Sociological Theory Development: Social Dynamics, Social Interaction, and Sociological Research in Wartime," December 1–2, 2023 (Kyiv) / Ed. by Yu. Saveliev, O. Ivashchenko, O. Vilkova, L. Males, A. Deineka, O. Mazuryk (pp. 152–156). [In Ukrainian]. Kyiv: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. [=Касянчук, М. (2024). Динаміка і фактори підтримки реєстрованого цивільного партнерства населенням України у воєнні роки. У: Матеріали ХX Ювілейної Міжнародної науково-практичної конференції «Проблеми розвитку соціологічної теорії: Суспільна динаміка, соціальна взаємодія та соціологічні дослідження в умовах війни», 1–2 грудня 2023 року (м. Київ) / За ред. Ю. Савельєва, О. Іващенко, О. Вілкової, Л. Малес, А. Дейнеки, О. Мазурика (сс. 152–156). Київ: КНУім. Т. Шевченка].
Kasianchuk, M., Korzhov, H., Varban, M. (2014). An Insider Among Outsiders, an Outsider Among Insiders: Bisexual Men and Their Female Partners in Ukraine. Research Report. [In Ukrainian]. Donetsk: International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine; Interregional Center for LGBT Research Donbas-SotsProekt. [=Касянчук, М., Коржов, Г., Варбан, М. (2014). Свій серед чужих, чужий серед своїх: Чоловіки-бісексуали та їхні партнерки в Україні. Науковий звіт про дослідження. Донецьк: МБФ «Міжнародний Альянс з ВІЛ/СНІДу в Україні», ГО «Міжреґіональний центр ЛҐБТ-досліджень Донбас-СоцПроект»].
Kasianchuk, M., Sheremet, S., Trofymenko, O. (2020). The state of same-sex partnerships in Ukraine. Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing, 3, 143–166. https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2020.03.143 [=Касянчук, М., Шеремет, С., Трофименко, О. (2020). Стан одностатевих партнерств в Україні. Соціологія: теорія, методи, маркетинг, 3, 143–166].
Kuhn, T. (1975). The structure of scientific revolutions. [In Russian]. Moscow.
Maimulakhin, A., Kasyanchuk, M., Leshchinsky, E. (2009). Same-sex partnership in Ukraine. [In Ukrainian]. Kyiv. [=Маймулахин, А., Касянчук, М., Лещинский, Е. (2009). Однополое партнёрство в Украине. Киев].
Martsenyuk, T. & Yarmanova, H. (2012). Challenging Heteronormativity? The (Re)production of Gender in LGBT Families and the Search for Social Recognition. [In Ukrainian]. In: H. Yarmanova (Ed.), LGBT Families in Ukraine: Social Practices and Legislative Regulation (pp. 49–64). Kyiv. [=Марценюк, Т., Ярманова, Г. (2012). Підважуючи гетеронормативність? (Від)творення гендеру в ЛГБТ-сім’ях та пошук суспільного визнання. У: ЛГБТ-сім’ї в Україні: соціальні практики та законодавче регулювання / За ред. Г. Ярманової (сс. 49–64). Київ].
Monk, J.D., Giglio, E., Kamath, A., Lambert, M.R., McDonough, C.E. (2019). An alternative hypothesis for the evolution of same-sex sexual behaviour in animals. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3, 1622–1631. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-1019-7
Moore, M.R., Stambolis-Ruhstorfer, M. (2013). LGBT sexuality and families at the start of the twenty-first century. Annual Review of Sociology, 39, 491–507. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-071312-145643
Peres, R., Muller, E., Mahajan, V. (2010). Innovation Diffusion and New Product Growth Models: A Critical Review and Research Directions. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 27(2), 91–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2009.12.012
Pierson, P. (2004). Politics in time: History, institutions, and social analysis. Princeton University Press.
R Core Team. (2025). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Retrieved from: https://www.R-project.org/
Reczek, C. (2020). Sexual- and gender-minority families: A 2010 to 2020 decade in review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82(1), 300–325. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12607
Rogers, E.M. (1983). Diffusion of innovations (3rd ed.). Free Press.
Shcherba, D., & Diachenko, I. (2025). LGBT military personnel in Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War. NaUKMA Research Papers. Sociology, 8, 117–125. https://doi.org/10.18523/2617-9067.2025.8.117-125 [=Щерба, Д., Дьяченко, І. (2025). ЛГБТ-військові в Україні під час російсько-української війни. Наукові записки НаУКМА. Соціологія, 8, 117–125].
Shvedkova, A., Usmanova, M. (2017). Social and legal status of LGBT families with children in Ukraine. [In Russian]. Kyiv. [=Шведкова, А., Усманова, М. (2017). Социальный и правовой статус ЛГБТ-семей с детьми в Украине. Киев].
Young, L.C., Zaun, B.J., VanderWerf, E.A. (2008). Successful same-sex pairing in Laysan albatross. Biology Letters, 4(4), 323–325. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0191
Received 04.06.2026
Accepted for publication after review 02.08.2026
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LATEST FREELY ACCESSIBLE MATERIALS