ABSTRACT.
The present study aimed to investigate parental functions in male homosexual couples with babies based on Winnicott's theorizations. This is a case study with two male couples, one who adopted their daughter right after her birth, wich was 2 years and 5 months old at the time of the study, and another that resort on surrogacy, with a child of 1 year and 3 months. Interviews were conducted jointly and individually. Participants’ reports were submitted to thematic analysis, investigating aspects of parenting practice. The results showed that the parent-child bond was built from daily care, which the couples sought to divide equally. It was possible to identify in each participant both aspects of the maternal and paternal functions proposed by Winnicott. The findings indicate that the functions that adults carry out with infants, rather than maternal and paternal ones, are parental functions that are independent of the gender or the sexual orientation of the caregiver.
Keywords:
Homosexual fathers; family relations; parenting