Hey All,
This is going to be a quick report about where we are in the stages of this project:
I have gathered 5 interviews (one of which became corrupt), so I have a grand total of 4, legitimate interviews.
I have started designing the Flash installation (which will hopefully look spectacularly professional, however, because it is me. we will have to hold our breaths)
I have 4 potential interviews gathered by pride (again if all goes to plan) which means more stories. which is always good.
I have been in contact with several other communities within Brighton and now extending my arms out to London.
I have produced 5 pages of academic texts which pertains to this subject area (if any of you are interested, let me know and I shall recommend some books/journals) and I have about 2 pages dealing with media representations (which I don't think is good enough!)
Just a quick update, I will be back with more words later, when I have actually achieved something that I would call productive. Until then.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Vulnerability: is it our weakness or strength?
Hey all,
In this post, I would like to think about vulnerability, especially with regards to the LBGTIQ community being considered a community that has been portrayed, throughout the media, and adheres to the idea that it is essentially a group that is 'vulnerable'. But first, the context.
As I was doing my usual - i.e. sending e-mails off to people who are actually important, and have real life responsibilities other than to humour an undergraduate doing a project - I encountered a very interesting person who, levied a rather interesting question:
"why are you seeking to protect anonymity? Does this not imply that the 'group' you are researching is vulnerable, disempowered and needs protection?"
Throughout all my e-mails and interactions with people regarding the project, I have always hastened to reassure them of their anonymity, chucking words like 'pseudonyms' at them and using phrases like 'your identity will be hidden', 'no one will know' etc... as if they have a disease that no one wishes to make a public claim to have, and i'm exposing their story whilst keeping them under the shroud of normality. In retrospect, I understand this interpretation to be a little hyperbolic, but the issue remains the same. Should we consider members of the LGBTIQ community vulnerable?
I remember my original answer to this was a little staggered, fumbly and unkempt. So i'm going to try and readdress the question with a little more coherence and less spelling errors. As I am a very busy being important (I.e. I have to dedicate time to twitter and facebook, these are both very busying and important social practices!) I will spare you the essay length response (this has nothing to do with the fact that It is a Saturday and I'm currently Inside watching it be sunny outside).
Firstly, I feel it is important to address why there is this conception that the LGBTIQ community and all of its affiliates are vulnerable. There have been countless studies, such as Ryan & Rivers (2003) who investigated the instances of depression, anxieties, lack of self-esteem issues, and often violent retributions and suicidal attempts as a result of the societal pressures to stay as close to the hegemonic norms as possible. Rivers suggested these insecurities are fortified within us in our youth (2002) suggesting people who come out have to "consider how their choices will impact on the quality of their lives, those of their friends, and indeed, those of their friends". Which, I would suggest, would be the first instance of registering the epistemological response to anything that counters the normative values of society. Sparing the details, these values are reaffirmed at the home (see, Hines & Malley-Morrison, 2005), at school (see, Plummer, 1999) and perhaps mostly through media (see, Nardi & Bolton, 1998)) Through recycling stereotypical representations of homosexuality, or portraying stories of LGBTIQ oriented people having to battle through all odds and seekacceptance from a group of people who have the power to bestow upon them the honour of standing them on a less than equal slope all because they conform more directly the hetereonormative values that are dominant in our contemporary society.
So, there is cause to reason why there may be some onus on the idea that there may be some who feel vulnerable when there are unsympathetic stories circulating of yet another Gay-Bashing incident, or acts of discrimination happening left right and centre. HOWEVER (and this is a big however) for fear of contributing to the existing media that should make people more paranoid about leaving their own homes. Given the current advances in LGBTQ rights globally (GO ARGENTINA) and locally (Muslim, Gay and HAPPY!, No need to ask or tell, Gay Adoption etc...) and there is an increasing amount of representations of LGBTQ identified members of the community in Mainstream media. These examples would lead us all to think that the LGBTIQ voice has become so awesomely powerful, by automatically assuming people would want to take cover and to hide their anonymity in a research project like this would surely reaffirm the negative press mentioned earlier surrounding the community.
I concluded, that by offering people the shelter of anonymity, especially those who have had first hand experience with homophobic actions, I am not just going to get people who are well adjusted, who probably have had very positive experiences whilst coming out, and see no traumas in their immediate world. I am also more likely going to have individuals who have had negative experiences actively come to me and offer their stories to share, to contribute to the diverse and varied array of experiences that each individual has come across within the community. After all, each and every life is different. So I guess I am saying it is not that the LGBTIQ community that is vulnerable purse, people are.
Thanks for wading through that, I am going to post a progress report soon (possibly now?) so watch this space!
In this post, I would like to think about vulnerability, especially with regards to the LBGTIQ community being considered a community that has been portrayed, throughout the media, and adheres to the idea that it is essentially a group that is 'vulnerable'. But first, the context.
As I was doing my usual - i.e. sending e-mails off to people who are actually important, and have real life responsibilities other than to humour an undergraduate doing a project - I encountered a very interesting person who, levied a rather interesting question:
"why are you seeking to protect anonymity? Does this not imply that the 'group' you are researching is vulnerable, disempowered and needs protection?"
Throughout all my e-mails and interactions with people regarding the project, I have always hastened to reassure them of their anonymity, chucking words like 'pseudonyms' at them and using phrases like 'your identity will be hidden', 'no one will know' etc... as if they have a disease that no one wishes to make a public claim to have, and i'm exposing their story whilst keeping them under the shroud of normality. In retrospect, I understand this interpretation to be a little hyperbolic, but the issue remains the same. Should we consider members of the LGBTIQ community vulnerable?
I remember my original answer to this was a little staggered, fumbly and unkempt. So i'm going to try and readdress the question with a little more coherence and less spelling errors. As I am a very busy being important (I.e. I have to dedicate time to twitter and facebook, these are both very busying and important social practices!) I will spare you the essay length response (this has nothing to do with the fact that It is a Saturday and I'm currently Inside watching it be sunny outside).
Firstly, I feel it is important to address why there is this conception that the LGBTIQ community and all of its affiliates are vulnerable. There have been countless studies, such as Ryan & Rivers (2003) who investigated the instances of depression, anxieties, lack of self-esteem issues, and often violent retributions and suicidal attempts as a result of the societal pressures to stay as close to the hegemonic norms as possible. Rivers suggested these insecurities are fortified within us in our youth (2002) suggesting people who come out have to "consider how their choices will impact on the quality of their lives, those of their friends, and indeed, those of their friends". Which, I would suggest, would be the first instance of registering the epistemological response to anything that counters the normative values of society. Sparing the details, these values are reaffirmed at the home (see, Hines & Malley-Morrison, 2005), at school (see, Plummer, 1999) and perhaps mostly through media (see, Nardi & Bolton, 1998)) Through recycling stereotypical representations of homosexuality, or portraying stories of LGBTIQ oriented people having to battle through all odds and seekacceptance from a group of people who have the power to bestow upon them the honour of standing them on a less than equal slope all because they conform more directly the hetereonormative values that are dominant in our contemporary society.
So, there is cause to reason why there may be some onus on the idea that there may be some who feel vulnerable when there are unsympathetic stories circulating of yet another Gay-Bashing incident, or acts of discrimination happening left right and centre. HOWEVER (and this is a big however) for fear of contributing to the existing media that should make people more paranoid about leaving their own homes. Given the current advances in LGBTQ rights globally (GO ARGENTINA) and locally (Muslim, Gay and HAPPY!, No need to ask or tell, Gay Adoption etc...) and there is an increasing amount of representations of LGBTQ identified members of the community in Mainstream media. These examples would lead us all to think that the LGBTIQ voice has become so awesomely powerful, by automatically assuming people would want to take cover and to hide their anonymity in a research project like this would surely reaffirm the negative press mentioned earlier surrounding the community.
I concluded, that by offering people the shelter of anonymity, especially those who have had first hand experience with homophobic actions, I am not just going to get people who are well adjusted, who probably have had very positive experiences whilst coming out, and see no traumas in their immediate world. I am also more likely going to have individuals who have had negative experiences actively come to me and offer their stories to share, to contribute to the diverse and varied array of experiences that each individual has come across within the community. After all, each and every life is different. So I guess I am saying it is not that the LGBTIQ community that is vulnerable purse, people are.
Thanks for wading through that, I am going to post a progress report soon (possibly now?) so watch this space!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Queer Family Titles
Hey all,
Part of this research project entails me clumsily wading through 'media' (which is a big concept), finding examples of LGBTIQ people with LGBTIQ families (comparably, a very small, teeny, tiny, minute fraction of the whole media-scape). Unfortunately, there aren't any blogs already out there that I can find doing my job. I feel that I should therefore summon all the will power I can muster and contribute to the growing list that I have created at the moment. It's a little light at the moment, because of its general difficulty I felt the need to shy away into the dark recesses of the library and buried my head in academic books, journals and whatnot because they are organised and tell me things I need to know and where to get more information to satisfy my incurable thirst for everything queer theory.
Without further ado, my list:
(WARNING: some of the representations of queer genealogies may not be positive and good, I am merely stating that they exist, and it is up to you (the active reader) to figure out for yourselves whether or not you agree with the conceptions of queer families within these media artefacts)
(DOUBLE WARNING: I tend to use parenthetical interjections too frequently, if it offends you, cover your eyes and have someone read this to you (because this is important!))
Almodóvar, P. (Writer), & Almodóvar, P. (Director). (1987). Law of Desire [Motion Picture].
Andreas, C. (Director). (2008). Between Love & Goodbye [Motion Picture].
Arnold, J. (1996). Amy Asks a Question: Grandma, What's a Lesbian? Mother Courage Press.
Baitz, J. R. (Creator). (2006-). Brothers and Sisters [Television Drama].
Bechdel, A. (2007). Fun Home. New York: First Mariner Books.
Chaffetz, J. (2003). Gay Reality. Lincoln: iUniverse inc.
cturtlevirtue. (2007, March 31). ~~Family Family (squared)~~. Retrieved Jul 19, 2010, from Youtube:
Gaylord, G. (Director). (2009). Eating Out [Motion Picture].
Hale, C. (Director). (2008). Mulligans [Motion Picture].
Heron, A., & Meredith, M. (1994). How Would You Feel If Your Dad Was Gay? Alyson Publications.
Hochner, Y. (Director). (2008). Antarctica [Motion Picture].
Johnson, T. (2008). Family Outing: What Happened When I found Out My Mother Was Gay. Arcade Publishing.
Klein, F., & Schwartz, T. (2001). Bisexual and Gay Husbands: Their Stories, Their Words. Binghamton: Harrington Park Press.
Lizzythelezzy. (2009, Jan 14). GAY & LESBIAN SIBLINGS! Stand up Comedy videos by LIZZY THE LEZZY . Retrieved Jul 19, 2010, from Youtube:
Martineau, J., & Ducastel, O. (Directors). (2005). Cote D'azur [Motion Picture].
Munch, C. (Director). (2004). Harry & Max Brothers: Brothers Like No Others [Motion Picture].
Osbourne, G. (Director). (2007). An Angel Named Billy [Motion Picture].
Rowe, M. (2007). Other Men's Sons. Commorant Books.
Tafdrup, C. (Director). (2008). Awakening [Motion Picture].
TheMichaelMullen. (2010, Jul 19). Fruit and Fly #8: "Mom, We're Gay!". Retrieved May 13, 2008, from
Tucker, D. (Director). (2006). Transamerica [Motion Picture].
Vincent, P.-A. (Director). (2008). Give Me Your Hand [Motion Picture]. France.
Wagner, P., & Wagner, H. (2009). Ready or Not... They're Gay: Stories from a Midwestern Family. Austin: Synergy Books.
I'm doing this because I want to keep you guys informed on progress on the research project. However I'm primarily doing this to show the kinds of representations that do exist in the mediascape of queer intergenerational families. From the get go, it doesn't look promising to be honest, there is one i have cut out from the major list Uncle David for example, which examines the incestuous relationship that develops between a gay man (and former porn star) and his aged uncle. It's a telling story no less, but it exemplifies the exploration of queer families through sexual encounters and hyper-sexing and this seem to be quite prevalent in this particular corner of the mediasphere. I have found that most media forms deal with these non-traditional families through incest and the problems that arise there (go look at Harry & Max, and Give Me Your Hand to name a couple). I'm finding it increasingly difficult to find positive images of the kind of families I'm looking for, Brother's ad Sisters was a good, positive example in my eyes because throughout the seasons, it delves into everyone's lives and their personalities as well as their token attributes that makes the family
I guess I'm saying that media and internet should sort themselves out more! (though this is at the preliminary stages of my research, I may have to eat my words). MAKE ME EAT MY WORDS INTERNET I dare you.
I hope you enjoyed this ramble,
Until later.
Part of this research project entails me clumsily wading through 'media' (which is a big concept), finding examples of LGBTIQ people with LGBTIQ families (comparably, a very small, teeny, tiny, minute fraction of the whole media-scape). Unfortunately, there aren't any blogs already out there that I can find doing my job. I feel that I should therefore summon all the will power I can muster and contribute to the growing list that I have created at the moment. It's a little light at the moment, because of its general difficulty I felt the need to shy away into the dark recesses of the library and buried my head in academic books, journals and whatnot because they are organised and tell me things I need to know and where to get more information to satisfy my incurable thirst for everything queer theory.
Without further ado, my list:
(WARNING: some of the representations of queer genealogies may not be positive and good, I am merely stating that they exist, and it is up to you (the active reader) to figure out for yourselves whether or not you agree with the conceptions of queer families within these media artefacts)
(DOUBLE WARNING: I tend to use parenthetical interjections too frequently, if it offends you, cover your eyes and have someone read this to you (because this is important!))
Almodóvar, P. (Writer), & Almodóvar, P. (Director). (1987). Law of Desire [Motion Picture].
Andreas, C. (Director). (2008). Between Love & Goodbye [Motion Picture].
Arnold, J. (1996). Amy Asks a Question: Grandma, What's a Lesbian? Mother Courage Press.
Baitz, J. R. (Creator). (2006-). Brothers and Sisters [Television Drama].
Bechdel, A. (2007). Fun Home. New York: First Mariner Books.
Chaffetz, J. (2003). Gay Reality. Lincoln: iUniverse inc.
cturtlevirtue. (2007, March 31). ~~Family Family (squared)~~. Retrieved Jul 19, 2010, from Youtube:
Gaylord, G. (Director). (2009). Eating Out [Motion Picture].
Hale, C. (Director). (2008). Mulligans [Motion Picture].
Heron, A., & Meredith, M. (1994). How Would You Feel If Your Dad Was Gay? Alyson Publications.
Hochner, Y. (Director). (2008). Antarctica [Motion Picture].
Johnson, T. (2008). Family Outing: What Happened When I found Out My Mother Was Gay. Arcade Publishing.
Klein, F., & Schwartz, T. (2001). Bisexual and Gay Husbands: Their Stories, Their Words. Binghamton: Harrington Park Press.
Lizzythelezzy. (2009, Jan 14). GAY & LESBIAN SIBLINGS! Stand up Comedy videos by LIZZY THE LEZZY . Retrieved Jul 19, 2010, from Youtube:
Martineau, J., & Ducastel, O. (Directors). (2005). Cote D'azur [Motion Picture].
Munch, C. (Director). (2004). Harry & Max Brothers: Brothers Like No Others [Motion Picture].
Osbourne, G. (Director). (2007). An Angel Named Billy [Motion Picture].
Rowe, M. (2007). Other Men's Sons. Commorant Books.
Tafdrup, C. (Director). (2008). Awakening [Motion Picture].
TheMichaelMullen. (2010, Jul 19). Fruit and Fly #8: "Mom, We're Gay!". Retrieved May 13, 2008, from
Tucker, D. (Director). (2006). Transamerica [Motion Picture].
Vincent, P.-A. (Director). (2008). Give Me Your Hand [Motion Picture]. France.
Wagner, P., & Wagner, H. (2009). Ready or Not... They're Gay: Stories from a Midwestern Family. Austin: Synergy Books.
I'm doing this because I want to keep you guys informed on progress on the research project. However I'm primarily doing this to show the kinds of representations that do exist in the mediascape of queer intergenerational families. From the get go, it doesn't look promising to be honest, there is one i have cut out from the major list Uncle David for example, which examines the incestuous relationship that develops between a gay man (and former porn star) and his aged uncle. It's a telling story no less, but it exemplifies the exploration of queer families through sexual encounters and hyper-sexing and this seem to be quite prevalent in this particular corner of the mediasphere. I have found that most media forms deal with these non-traditional families through incest and the problems that arise there (go look at Harry & Max, and Give Me Your Hand to name a couple). I'm finding it increasingly difficult to find positive images of the kind of families I'm looking for, Brother's ad Sisters was a good, positive example in my eyes because throughout the seasons, it delves into everyone's lives and their personalities as well as their token attributes that makes the family
unique.
I guess I'm saying that media and internet should sort themselves out more! (though this is at the preliminary stages of my research, I may have to eat my words). MAKE ME EAT MY WORDS INTERNET I dare you.
I hope you enjoyed this ramble,
Until later.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
It continues...
Hi to all,
Success, i have collected my first interview, and it proves to be quite an interesting story. However, because of the very nature of this project, the anonymity of the participant is my priority. But this proves to be exciting news as I now have tangible, code-able legitimate research material. Good.
Also, watch this space, because this project may get a mention on Gscene (a Brighton Gay Magazine) and Brighton Rag (an alternative gay magazine in brighton) which will be cool, hopefully this will attract some more interested participants.
Speaking of which, I feel the need to clarify the fact that I don't see the people who wish to take part in this study as mere 'participants', it is necessary, for me at least to recognise the fact these are people, with real lives and with real stories to tell! I am genuinely interested in seeing how gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender etc... people, who have grown up and developed in family which have representations of counter-heteronormativity in their family structure, understand their sexuality, or more importantly, how they grew to understand their sexuality. As child from a relatively conventional upbringing (in the sense that everyone was/considers themselves to be straight, bearing mind that my family are equally as dysfunctional in a plethora of other ways) it is interesting to consider that for some, there was never a 'coming out story' with regards to their family. Or to argue the opposite, there was even more pressure to stay hidden/straight/'normal, because of the fear the family would have for their offspring, the knowledge that life would be that little bit harder for them, and the added fear of (ignorant) people blaming them for their child's (sp? I don't know whether homosexuality is a noun, which can be owned, please enlighten me) homosexuality.
I fear this is turning into an unguided ramble, I shall keep you posted, all three of you, and let you know how this research is progessing.
Success, i have collected my first interview, and it proves to be quite an interesting story. However, because of the very nature of this project, the anonymity of the participant is my priority. But this proves to be exciting news as I now have tangible, code-able legitimate research material. Good.
Also, watch this space, because this project may get a mention on Gscene (a Brighton Gay Magazine) and Brighton Rag (an alternative gay magazine in brighton) which will be cool, hopefully this will attract some more interested participants.
Speaking of which, I feel the need to clarify the fact that I don't see the people who wish to take part in this study as mere 'participants', it is necessary, for me at least to recognise the fact these are people, with real lives and with real stories to tell! I am genuinely interested in seeing how gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender etc... people, who have grown up and developed in family which have representations of counter-heteronormativity in their family structure, understand their sexuality, or more importantly, how they grew to understand their sexuality. As child from a relatively conventional upbringing (in the sense that everyone was/considers themselves to be straight, bearing mind that my family are equally as dysfunctional in a plethora of other ways) it is interesting to consider that for some, there was never a 'coming out story' with regards to their family. Or to argue the opposite, there was even more pressure to stay hidden/straight/'normal, because of the fear the family would have for their offspring, the knowledge that life would be that little bit harder for them, and the added fear of (ignorant) people blaming them for their child's (sp? I don't know whether homosexuality is a noun, which can be owned, please enlighten me) homosexuality.
I fear this is turning into an unguided ramble, I shall keep you posted, all three of you, and let you know how this research is progessing.
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Process
Hey all,
As I may or may not have mentioned earlier, building up the necessary levels of energy for me to update this blog is to a large extent, quite taxing. However, I will not deprave you, dear reader who ever you are, of my research misadventures, blunders and successes. Without further ado:
The project officially started on the 05 July, and I'm currently on day 7 of my project and so far, I might say, so good. I have spent a lot of time getting to know the whole of Brighton, frantically waving my recruitment flyers and posters to every pub/bar/bookshop/hairdressers/group I can get a hold of. I am completely sure that i'm not the only bright eyed bouncy student they've seen claiming that their research is incredibly important to the society at large and therefore I almost as sure I was going to be met with a barrage of negative critiques or worse still. Nothing. However, I could not have been more wrong if I say so myself, every pub/bar/bookshop/hairdressers etc... greeted me with smiles and questions which A) was thoroughly delightful and B) rather threw me off. You see I imagined that I would be hand signalled to the nearest poster/flyer spot after regurgitating my research abstract in broken 'plain english', and then be asked to leave. I did not imagine that I would be met with inquisitive and thought provoking questions by the general public - who may have more important things to do than to entertain an undergrad student with his musings on Queer theory. Anyway I thought I might put up some of the said questions at the end of this blog and maybe open the panel for you to offer your opinion or correct, expand, contribute, rebut, your thoughts about the topic at hand (preferably, refraining from petty insults).
Officially I have not done any 'real' interviews, barring a pilot interview with my supervisor Kate O'Riordan which I feel went well (in that I didn't go down like a fiery zeppelin) and i've organised a few interviews which is exciting. And i've been updating a growing resource list for journals and the like that have some relevance to this research. In actual fact, I've found that Kate Weston's book "Families we choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship" and Jeffrey Weeks' "Same Sex Intmacies" are proving to be quite interesting reads. These articles deal with finding ways to challenge our conventional ideas surrounding families- i.e. the need for there to be a biological connection and the need for there to be a female and male presence in the immediate family - which resolves several tensions that surrounds queer kinship and in doing so, questions the concept of 'family' by exploring “the ways they live their lives, and discourses and ideologies of how they should live their lives” with regards to the heteronormative standards that have been put in place in society (Gittens 1993). Through the initial stages of research I have found that for some, the 'chosen family', requires more attention, the word 'nourish' appears - and people's biological kin are often considered a stable pillar of support. I'm not sure if I agree with Weeks on this point, however, alot of what his work goes through seems to make sense. Let me know what you think of it all.
As promised, questions:
Do you think that the term 'Queer' has softened and perhaps undermined the work of those who took part in the LGBT rights campaigns in the 1970s or is their power in its ambiguity?
What do you consider to be family? especially with the LGBTQ community in mind?
What difference does it make having LGBTIQ family for your own identity? (for this particular question I would like to suggest this article which is quite positive and therefore makes me happy: Raising Children in an Age of Diversity - Advantages of Having a Lesbian Mother
Enough from me, now to pester more people about this project!
As I may or may not have mentioned earlier, building up the necessary levels of energy for me to update this blog is to a large extent, quite taxing. However, I will not deprave you, dear reader who ever you are, of my research misadventures, blunders and successes. Without further ado:
The project officially started on the 05 July, and I'm currently on day 7 of my project and so far, I might say, so good. I have spent a lot of time getting to know the whole of Brighton, frantically waving my recruitment flyers and posters to every pub/bar/bookshop/hairdressers/group I can get a hold of. I am completely sure that i'm not the only bright eyed bouncy student they've seen claiming that their research is incredibly important to the society at large and therefore I almost as sure I was going to be met with a barrage of negative critiques or worse still. Nothing. However, I could not have been more wrong if I say so myself, every pub/bar/bookshop/hairdressers etc... greeted me with smiles and questions which A) was thoroughly delightful and B) rather threw me off. You see I imagined that I would be hand signalled to the nearest poster/flyer spot after regurgitating my research abstract in broken 'plain english', and then be asked to leave. I did not imagine that I would be met with inquisitive and thought provoking questions by the general public - who may have more important things to do than to entertain an undergrad student with his musings on Queer theory. Anyway I thought I might put up some of the said questions at the end of this blog and maybe open the panel for you to offer your opinion or correct, expand, contribute, rebut, your thoughts about the topic at hand (preferably, refraining from petty insults).
Officially I have not done any 'real' interviews, barring a pilot interview with my supervisor Kate O'Riordan which I feel went well (in that I didn't go down like a fiery zeppelin) and i've organised a few interviews which is exciting. And i've been updating a growing resource list for journals and the like that have some relevance to this research. In actual fact, I've found that Kate Weston's book "Families we choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship" and Jeffrey Weeks' "Same Sex Intmacies" are proving to be quite interesting reads. These articles deal with finding ways to challenge our conventional ideas surrounding families- i.e. the need for there to be a biological connection and the need for there to be a female and male presence in the immediate family - which resolves several tensions that surrounds queer kinship and in doing so, questions the concept of 'family' by exploring “the ways they live their lives, and discourses and ideologies of how they should live their lives” with regards to the heteronormative standards that have been put in place in society (Gittens 1993). Through the initial stages of research I have found that for some, the 'chosen family', requires more attention, the word 'nourish' appears - and people's biological kin are often considered a stable pillar of support. I'm not sure if I agree with Weeks on this point, however, alot of what his work goes through seems to make sense. Let me know what you think of it all.
As promised, questions:
Do you think that the term 'Queer' has softened and perhaps undermined the work of those who took part in the LGBT rights campaigns in the 1970s or is their power in its ambiguity?
What do you consider to be family? especially with the LGBTQ community in mind?
What difference does it make having LGBTIQ family for your own identity? (for this particular question I would like to suggest this article which is quite positive and therefore makes me happy: Raising Children in an Age of Diversity - Advantages of Having a Lesbian Mother
Enough from me, now to pester more people about this project!
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