There are many examples of chosen families within queer communities who have redefined notions of kinship, care, and social obligation. One example is how the LGBTQIA+ community has created networks of support and care for each other outside of traditional family structures.
The Queer Resource Center at UC Berkeley provides resources such as housing, counseling services, and mentoring programs to support queer students and their families. These chosen families provide an alternative framework for social connection that challenges the normative definition of family. They offer lessons about how we can create more inclusive and equitable forms of relating to one another. In addition, these communities often prioritize collective action, mutual aid, and solidarity, which can be applied to broader political movements for justice and liberation.
Drag performers often form chosen families that serve as safe spaces where they can express themselves authentically without fear of judgment or stigma. Drag mothers and fathers act as mentors, providing emotional and practical support to younger members. Drag sisters and brothers work together to create performance pieces and advocate for greater visibility and acceptance in the industry. These chosen families challenge heteronormative ideas about what it means to be a mother, father, brother, or sister and instead center queerness, gender fluidity, and self-determination.
The AIDS epidemic in the 1980s also highlighted the importance of chosen families in queer communities. Many individuals were cut off from their biological families due to homophobia or transphobia, so they formed new ones based on shared experiences and struggles. This led to the creation of community organizations like ACT UP and GMHC, which provided essential support and care during the crisis. Chosen families also played a key role in protesting anti-LGBTQIA+ laws and policies, such as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT).
Chosen families within queer communities offer valuable lessons about how we can redefine notions of kinship, care, and social obligation beyond traditional family structures. They prioritize collective action, mutual aid, and solidarity while challenging normative definitions of family. Their example shows us that alternative relational frameworks are possible and necessary for creating more inclusive and equitable societies.
How do chosen families within queer communities redefine notions of kinship, care, and social obligation, and what lessons do they offer for alternative relational frameworks?
In recent decades, individuals who have been estranged from their biological families or found themselves outside traditional family structures have turned to "chosen families" as a means of creating support systems and networks. These groups often consist of people with shared identities, values, or interests that are not necessarily related by blood, but rather through choice.