GRSJ224/Family Acceptance and Definitions of Family in LGBT Communities
Overview
The attitudes towards homosexuality has progressively been softened for the past few years, reducing tensions of coming out for LGBT people. Via coming out or declaring oneself as a LGBT person, the salience of kinship can be disturbed by rejection, negative reactions or experienced distance. The ties from biological families for LGBT communities may not last as promising as for the majority populations. LGBT individuals frequently experience isolation from biological relationships.
The absence of families can significantly limit convenience such as providing social support. Furthermore, the status of being without biological family or legal relatives often accompany with difficulty accessing to mainstream institutions and legal barriers [1]. Considering the roles, representations and features of family, definition of family is not concisely simplified into one concrete meaning. Thus, defining family can become very complex and regarded as a controversial issue in LGBT communities.
Coming Out
The legal and political debates about allowing same-sex couples had remained quite controversial for a long time in the United States[2]. Because the opposition against same sex relationships had been very devastating, the negative attitudes towards LGBT communities still remain despite the growing support for gender equality. For LGBT members, experiences of stigma and discrimination during the life course may have increased the levels of fear from the chance of being rejected. LGBT people often feel pressure to have relationships with different-sex partners and urge to hide their identities. Even in front of biological family or legal relatives, declaring oneself as a LGBT person without any fear happens rarely. After coming out, the chance of rejection, negative reactions or experienced distance from family is not perfectly preventable yet.
Abstract Conceptions of Family
Socially created assumptions for family
Family plays a central role in providing unconditional love for other family members. Because family is often considered as a significant individual who is expected to be more aware of personal information of other family member, in medical settings, patients are often required to accompany with biological family or legal relatives[2]. However, family does not always stay in contact. Distant family is quite common and sometimes, friends or other acquaintances stay closer. Despite the misconception of family, when receiving medical consultation or care, accompanying with biological or legal family is often required. This socially created assumptions for family undermine successful medical procedures and healing processes for many older adults, especially LGBT people.
Reality for LGBT people's family acceptance
Because the long decades of the social norm about the normality of heterosexuality, opposition towards LGBT communities still exist to a certain extent. During the life course, LGBT people may frequently experience discrimination and live under negative assumptions from others[3]. These negative behaviours and attitudes towards gender minority individuals may be perceived more problematic regarding keeping family ties. Due to the fear of the chance of being disconnected from their loved ones or exclusion from their family relationships, LGBT people feel pressure to behave as if they are heterosexual and hide their gender identity.
Current Family Circumstances for LGBT Communities
Notably, from 1993 to 2014, the portion of those who say that same-sex sexual relationships are never wrong increased from 22 percent to 49 percent, revealing social acceptance related to sexual relationships among same-sex couples increased substantially in the last two decades[4]. However, because the opposition against same sex relationships had been very devastating, the negative attitudes still remain. Laws were involved in reducing or increasing the stigma. Limited recognition. Now globally, marriage or other form of legal recognition for same sex marriage is now widely available. Changes are easier to occur through social norms and legal conditions. Social stigma directed towards LGBT communities can be insidiously damaging their health and well-being[4]. Despite growing support for same-sex parenting, proportionally fewer same-sex couples report raising children. Although the gender equality for homosexuality has been progressively enhanced, many LGBT individuals still encounter struggles to disclose their sexual identity due to the negative attitudes perpetuating from the past.
References
- ↑ Hull, Kathleen E., and Timothy A. Ortyl. "Conventional and Cutting-Edge: Definitions of Family in LGBT Communities." Sexuality Research & Social Policy, vol. 16, no. 1, 2018;2019;, pp. 31-43.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:2 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:3 - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gates, Gary J. "Marriage and Family: LGBT Individuals and Same-Sex Couples." The Future of Children, vol. 25, no. 2, 2015, pp. 67-87.
- ↑ Emfinger, Kay. "Rethinking Welcoming Literacy Environments for LGBT Families." Childhood Education, vol. 84, no. 1, 2007, pp. 24-28.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:1 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:0 - ↑ Lai, Hor Y. "Letters to the Editor: Regarding “Family Acceptance in Adolescence and the Health of LGBT Young Adults”." Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, vol. 24, no. 3, 2011, pp. 195-195.
- ↑ Ryan, Caitlin, et al. "Family Acceptance in Adolescence and the Health of LGBT Young Adults." Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, vol. 23, no. 4, 2010, pp. 205-213.
- ↑ Wardecker, Britney M., and Tim R. Johnston. "Seeing and Supporting LGBT Older Adults' Caregivers and Families." Journal of Gerontological Nursing, vol. 44, no. 11, 2018, pp. 2-4.