Queer families: valuing stories of adversity, diversity and belonging

Abstract

The 2017 Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey provided an unwelcome reminder that the concepts of queer sexuality and family life continue to be viewed as incompatible by many. However, campaigns in support of marriage equality also provide opportunities to document and disseminate stories of queer belonging within families. This commentary proposes three new ways of understanding and valuing accounts of what family means to LGBTQ communities, based on emerging findings from social research studies. It argues that in post-marriage equality contexts, it is time to learn to accept and to celebrate the differences that exist within every community, including within the diverse forms of families that are made.