Asecondhistoricalparadoxisthatthelesbianandgaybabyboomemergedatthesametimethatheterosexualfertilityratesinadvancedindustrialsocietieshaddeclinedbelowreplacementlevels.Inotherwords，justwhenmanyheterosexualswerechoosingnottohavechildrenortohavefewerthantheirownparentshad，manylesbiansandgaysbeganchoosingtojointheranksofparents.Ofcourse，thisisnotnecessarilyparadoxical，becauseitrepresentsanotherindexofthedecouplingofsexualityfromprocreationandmarriagethatIdiscussedabove.Anemotionalratherthananeconomiccalculusnowgovernsparentingdecisions，whichrepresentaquestforenduringloveandintimacy.Inthecontextofthegrowingranksofunmarriedheterosexualswhochooseparenting，whethersingleorcoupled，itstandstoreasonthatmanylesbiansandgaymenwoulddesireparenthoodaswell.
Steppingbackafewpacesfromtheheatofcontemporarydebatesaboutthedrivetorecognizelesbianandgayfamilyrelationships，Iamstruckbyanhistoricalanalogythatrepresentsyetanotherparadox.DuringtheperiodoftheColdWarbetweentheUnitedStatesandtheUSSR，Westernanti-CommunistsoftenportrayedCommunismasaprofoundthreattothefamilybecause，theymaintained，thePartydemandedabsoluteloyaltyandlaborfromitscitizensattheexpenseoffamilybonds（e.g，Skoussen，1958）.MyresearchontheChineseCommunistrevolutionledmetoperceivequiteadifferentrelationshipbetweenitsvictoryandthefateofConfucianpatriarchyandChinesepeasantfamilies.Iarguedthatsurprisingly，theCommunistrevolutioninChinahadactuallyhelpedtorescueafailingmarriageandfamilysystemfromtheravagesoftheagrariancrisisbyreformingitatthesametimethatitdemocratizedparticipationinpeasantpatriarchy.Landreform，suchaswasdepictedinFanshen（Hinton1966）helpedtoexpandpeasantaccesstomarriage，andthePeople’sLiberationArmydrewonfamilytiesasacrucialrevolutionaryresource.
Similarly，whilecontemporaryopponentsofgayunions，parentingandfamilyrightsportraytheseasthreatstomarriageandfamilylife，Iforeseeadifferenttrajectory.Untilrecently，mostgaysandlesbianswereforcedeithertoremainintheclosetortobecomefamilyexiles，bothoptionsrepresentinggenuinethreatstomanymarriagesandfamilies.Indeed，thehypocrisyofafreelovemarriagesysteminwhichhomosexualswerenotfreetopursuetheirauthenticlovessurelydidlittletostrengthentheinstitution.However，nowthatvastnumberofself-identifiedlesbiansandgayshaveembracedmarriageandparenthoodascentralgoals，theyoccupyavanguardpostofthepostmodernfamilycondition.GLBTfamilyaspirationsrepresentanintegralcomponentoftheincreasinglyglobalshiftfromobligatory，heterosexualprocreativefamiliestotheunavoidablechallengesofcreatingthediversefamilieswechoose.ToparaphraseMarx（1852），wedonotgettochoosetheconditionsunderwhichwearecompelledtomakehistoryorourfamilies.Consequently，along，unevencourseofstruggletoachievefamilyandsexualdiversity，equality，andharmonysurelyliesahead，buttheoverallhistoricaltrajectoryseemsequallyclear.
References：
Giddens，Anthony.1992.TheTransformationofIntimacy：Sexuality，Love，andEroticisminModernSocieties.Stanford：StanfordUniversityPress.
Goode，William.1967.WorldRevolutionandFamilyPatterns.NewYork：FreePress.
Hinton，William.1966.Fanshen：ADocumentaryofRevolutioninaChineseVillage.NewYork：MonthlyReviewPress.
Marx，Karl.1852.The18thBrumaireofLouisNapoleon.（Marx/EnglesInternetArchivewww.marxists.org）.
Skoussen，Cleon.1958.TheNakedCommunist.SaltLakeCity：EnsignPublishingCo.
Stacey，Judith.1983.PatriarchyandSocialistRevolutioninChina.Berkeley：UniversityofCaliforniaPress.
Stacey，Judith.1990.BraveNewFamilies：StoriesofDomesticUpheavalinLate20thCenturyAmerica.NewYork：BasicBooks.
Weston，Kath.1991.FamiliesWeChoose：Lesbians，Gays，Kinship.NewYork：ColumbiaUniversityPress.
