Chosen family—also referred to as found family, a family of choice, or ''hānai'' family—refers to non-biological

kinship In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that ...

bonds that are intentionally formed, regardless of legal recognition. These relationships are often based on mutual care, support, and emotional connection. In contrast to the

nuclear family A nuclear family (also known as an elementary family, atomic family, or conjugal family) is a term for a family group consisting of parents and their children (one or more), typically living in one home residence. It is in contrast to a single ...

; chosen family is created through voluntary association.

Chosen family in the LGBTQ+ community

LGBTQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...

individuals in particular often seek out chosen family when ostracization by their families of origin leaves them in need of social support. Many

individuals face rejection or shame from the families they were raised in upon

coming out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

. Research indicates that in the absence of social support by an individual's family of origin, chosen family can promote

psychological resilience Psychological resilience, or mental resilience, is the ability to cope mentally and emotionally with a crisis, or to return to pre-crisis status quickly. The term was popularized in the 1970s and 1980s by psychologist Emmy Werner as she conduc ...

References

Social concepts LGBTQ {{Sociology-stub

Chosen family in the LGBTQ+ community

See also

References