The Formation Process of a Self-help Group Supporting Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Childbearing and Childcare in Japan

Abstract

    This paper analyzes how lesbian and bisexual women and other sexual minorities who wanted to give birth and raise children in City A in Japan formed a self-help group, “Atarashii Kazoku no Katachi (pseudonym), mainly since the 2000s, from the perspective of the group representative, Sakura (pseudonym). While having difficult times coming to terms with her own family, Sakura learned on the Internet that a Japanese lesbian had given birth to a child through sperm donation from a third party, which strengthened her desire to have children herself. In conclusion, “Atarashii Kazoku no Katachi” has been found to fulfill an important function as a self-help group in which participants gather information on their own and support each other in their desire to have children as a member of a sexual minority.