Family Chosen: Queer and Trans Reflections, Tender Moments, and Sticking With Families of Origin

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Queer Futurity: Chosen Families; Doing Justice, and Honoring Our Communities

Abstract

In the LGBTQ+ community, many people construct intentional communities of support and strength–chosen family–often alongside a lack of acceptance from their families of origin. Yet, families of origin often get sorted into a binary–being supportive or not–in ways that miss their complexity. Drawing on interview data from LGBTQ+ adults, we focus on the relationships and processes that take place between LGBTQ+ people and their families of origin. We draw on emotion and a conception of family as an affective process to highlight the importance of “tender moments” along their journeys of sticking together. We contend that these insights have the capacity to teach us about how families may choose one another, thereby increasing familial connectedness and support for LGBTQ+ youth.

Authors

• Bethy Leonardi, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Nelia Peña, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Keith Anthony Griffin, University of Colorado - Boulder