Compulsory Kinship: Sexual and Gender Minority Young Adults and Their Parents

• In Event: 3129 - Intergenerational Relationships

Abstract

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) young adults report strained and unsupportive relationships with parents due to homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. Yet, despite historical focus on intergenerational estrangement or disengagement, the majority of SGM adult child-parent relationships remain intact. In this paper, we develop the concept “compulsory kinship,” drawing on family institutionalization theory, to explain why parent-adult child ties persist even when significant strain is present. Compulsory kinship refers to the taken-for-granted, deep-rooted assumption that the parent-child tie should be maintained and privileged above most other social ties, even as children become adults. Next, we illustrate the rationales of compulsory kinship with a case study 76 SGM young adults. The sample includes sexual minority people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and pansexual, and gender minority people who identify as transgender, genderqueer, or gender non-binary. Findings reveal several key explanations for why SGM young adults maintain relationships with parents when there is significant conflict. First, respondents discuss the multidirectional exchange of family resources, including emotional, material, and instrumental support, as a key reason for staying in the family. Second, SGM young adults detail three “family myths” to justify their family presence: the myth of family growth, the myth that family is always family, and the myth of family closeness. Findings demonstrate the everyday operation of “compulsory kinship,” and highlight the relevance of this new theoretical frame in understanding the longevity of family relationships after legal bonds have ceased.

Authors

• Rin Reczek, Ohio State University

• Emma Ryan Bosley-Smith, The Ohio State University