House full of Love: Bringing up Children in Polyamorous Relationships
In “House full of Love: Bringing up Children in Polyamorous Relationships”, Alessandra Iantaffi (2009) shares a personal narrative of her experience as a participant in qualitative research on queer polyamorous relationships. Iantaffi leaves the audience with an authentic experience of lives lived outside heteronormativity, in the process, trying to create space for alternative family models other than the conventional nuclear family typically dictated by Western ideology. This article provides a basic understanding of queer polyamorous relationships and what they look like as part of a family unit and in parenting. Iantaffi does not paint a fantastical vision of the lives of queer polyamory, rather
…show more content…
This was obviously an important connection to make possibly as part of her own experience, but she offered no conjecture in the text to explain this throughout the main parts of her article. One can assume that child welfare as a structure guided by patriarchal euro western ideology has served to scrutinize parenting outside the norms of nuclear, monogamous family structures. In my personal experience in Child Welfare I have seen the scrutiny in the past over same sex couples seeking to foster or adopt children. It would have been helpful for her to situate the issues directed toward Child Welfare, for example in increased investigations, involvement, attributing being queer to issues experienced by a child, or in fostering and adopting youth. Further it would be good in her concluding remarks to explain what that scrutiny is connected to such as the fear and ignorance that permeates in society and directs policy as in child
In the article, “ New policy for LGBT youths in foster care” by Fenit Nirappil
Barbara Kingsolver’s “Stone Soup” is a personal response to society’s view of the “broken” family. Kingsolver believes that society has for too long criticized divorce, remarriage, single parenthood, gay parents, and blended families, and that alternative families deserve equal standing in our society. In response to reading Kingsolver’s essay, this paper will serve to show which parts of “Stone Soup” are supported by outside evidence and which are not.
The family has always been a unit that calls for the belonging of the kin. It calls for more than blood relations, but also a relation with ancestry, history, ethnic origins, etc. It serves as the most basic political unit that many can relate too, however, the term family carries a more diverse and complex role that is seen to evolve throughout the years. With the modernization of the human civilization leads to an evolution of thought, morality, and ideology. What was once the idealized nuclear family, is now criticized by many modern day thinkers as it invokes a heteronormative that oppresses any other forms of family and sexual relationships. This concept can be seen in the given article by Bell Hooks. In Hooks’ document, she talks about the racist oppression of sexist domination towards back women. There is a focus on black women in reference to their place in the community, the home, and the home to which they are serving to (Hooks, 1990). Her views show the heavy responsibilities of black women as it reflects their privileges and lifestyle. The second document by Michelle Owen examines the normalization of queer as seen in the Canadian Legal Landscape, assimilation debates, and works to that aim to break the heteronormative family lifestyle (2001).
In T. Coraghessan Boyle’s story “The Love of My Life,” it centers around the teenage relationship of Jeremy and China who claim to be in love with one another and nothing else matters to them. Their relationship; however, is centered around what a relationship is like in movies and based of the physical attraction to each other as well as being naive to what real love is as this is their first real relationship with a significant other. The relationship between the two is great until they encounter their first real obstacle in the relationship when China becomes pregnant. The egocentric nature of both characters takes over and there begins to be cracks within the relationship. Now they face the reality of becoming parents and they blame
Love is a game. The object of the game is for men to win the hearts of women. But winning the hearts of women is rare for men to do. The man in the poem “Love In Brooklyn”, is a novice player in the game of love. Because he is unfamiliar with the rules, he does not know how to win the hearts of women. Because of his lack of knowledge in women, he is extremely introverted when he interacts with women. He said, ““I love you, Horowitz”... and he blew his nose””(Line 1). The way he said “I love you” made the meaning of the statement lose its value. He also tried to prove to her that he loved her by comparing his love for her to a tank sliding through the trees (lines 12-14). He compares his love for her to destruction illustrating that he is clueless
Traditionally, the U.S. family begins with a marriage, cohabitation and finally, children. However, the “typical” family is beginning to evolve very rapidly, just as in France and Quebec. In Quebec, it is more common to find couples living together that aren’t married than to find married couples living together. Surprisingly, only 3 in 10 families in Quebec are married couples with children under 25 living with them. In France, children tend to live with their parents until they’re in their early to mid-twenties. Quebec and the United States are generally evolving together. It is more common in present day to find couples living together that aren’t married, yet may or may not have children. However, in France, couples generally won’t marry until they’re in their thirties. My family is composed of the traditional American family: marriage, creating a home together, creating a family together. Although I was raised in an orthodox household, I was also raised seeing and learning from unorthodox living and parental situations. The role of family in the U.S., Quebec, and France nowadays are all transforming to purposefully cease all structure. Same-sex marriage is now legal in these areas, and this change has definitely produced the question of what is a “typical family” anymore. There is not a typical family anymore, there is only the family one was brought up in and one creates.
Within the last decade or so, the ideologies of the nuclear family have presented the familial formation of the LGBQT community as invisible. In the short film directed by Rémy Huberdeau titled, Transforming Family, it aims to shed light that other forms of families do exist, specifically in the transgender/transexual community. For people who identify themselves as transexual and/or transgendered, they choose and behave according to the gender they feel matches who they are; it does not match their biological self.(Namaste, 2011, 422). According to Trans Pulse, one out of every four trans people in Ontario is a parent (Huberdeau, 2012). These families in no shape or form emulate the nuclear family, though they work just as well as any other family. Individuals who identify themselves as being gay or lesbian at times “feel forced to choose between acknowledging their sexuality and having a family” (Kimmel & Holler, 2011, 182), they feel that they have to choose either one or the other; that they cannot have both. The same can be said for individuals who identify themselves as transgender/transexual. This can been seen through first time parents, Syrus and Nick and single mother Dana. Before Syrus or Nick began their transition from female to male, no one ever provided them with the option of saving their eggs before they began testosterone therapy (Huberdeau, 2012). For Dana, she chose the option of surrogacy, however, due to what her doctor referred to as ‘transgender
In Amigas and Amantes: Sexually Nonconforming Latinas Negotiate Family, Katie Acosta explores how Latina women, who sexually identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer, struggle to create and maintain family ties. Recalling the lived experiences of these sexually nonconformity Latinas, Acosta uses the theory of intersectionality to examine how the different identity markers (such as race, gender, age, sex, etc.) profoundly affects the way these Latinas experience their family. In this essay, we’ll take a look at how intersectionality illuminates that struggle for visibility by studying the differences found in religion, class, country of origin, and heteronormativity. Furthermore, we’ll be analyzing how sexually nonconforming Latinas
In life especially, 2,000 years ago, there was a path that women were expected to take. Marriage being the number one decision and path they were supposed to endure. Today, women role in society has changed tremendously since the 1800s. Women are now a little more equal to men. In Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour and Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Birth-mark, two stories about gender role and marriages, show how it was like in the 1800s. Their opinion of marriage was correct even though somethings were flawed.
Until quite recently, the traditional view of family that has predominated society has been comprised of gender roles. The “ideal” family in the past has consisted of a white, middle-class, heterosexual couple with about 2.5 children. In this heteronormative nuclear family, the father is the head of the household and the breadwinner of the family, while the mother is the one who cares for the children and completes household duties. Of course, most families do not fit into this mould and those who do not fit have been repeatedly marginalized due to their differences. It is no question that race, class, sexuality, ability, and many other identity markers intersect in how forms of family may vary. As explained by the concept of intersectionality, gender must be analyzed through a lens that includes various identity markers which contribute to how an individual experiences oppression. It is through the use of intersectionality, the discussion of patriarchy, and the deconstruction of “family” that bell hooks (1990) and Michelle K. Owen (2001) paint family as a site of belonging and contestation.
In “A Houseful of Love and Laughter” authored by Jay Leno, he writes about family events that share with the reader a clear idea of his parents’ character’s. He also includes ways in which he felt about his mom and dad. These stories could be that of many other immigrant families. Who came to America, but these stories have focused on the humor in life, something so important to them. There were several ways Jay felt about his scottish mom.
Today, in a world of the “postmodern family” the traditional lines of family structure are blurred. Children may come from diverse types of homes, or a couple, married or not may choose to have no children and consider
The social science research that is routinely repeated does not actually speak on the subject questions of whether or not children need both a mother and a father at home. Instead proponents generally cite research that compares [heterosexual two-parent] families with single parents, this conflates the number with the gender of parents," the authors write. Indeed, there are far more similarities than differences among children of lesbian and heterosexual parents, according to the study. On average, two mothers tended to play with their children more, were less likely to use physical discipline, and were less likely to raise children with chauvinistic attitudes. Studies of gay male families are still limited. However, like two heterosexual parents, new parenthood among lesbians increased stress and conflict, exacerbated by general lack of legal recognition of commitment. Also, lesbian biological mothers typically assumed greater caregiving responsibility than their partners, reflecting inequities among heterosexual couples.
Today, non-traditional families dominate the scene. The “normal” family is now uncommon in our society (Shields 562). Teachers have to be cautious when assuming every child has a mommy or daddy. Social workers must no longer be surprised when their clients are actually grandparents taking care of their grandchildren. Some children may have two daddies, or some only have a mommy. The list goes on. The culprit creating these unusual families is not always divorce and can include the death of a parent, unwed mothers, or single-sex parents (Shields 562). New families are not required to be biologically related. In an article about her non-traditional family, “Why Do We Marry?” Jane Smiley points out that people with numerous marriages or partners extend the definition of family (564). She writes, family dinners consisted of “me, my boyfriend, his daughter and son by his second wife, my daughters by my second husband, and my seven-year-old son by my third husband” (563, 564). Relationships begin to resemble several broken, rerouted, and
Homosexuality in general seems to be more accepted than a few decades ago. However, despite the progress the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) civil right movement has had in recent times, there are still great debates and consequences for the gay community (Slenders, Sieben & Verbakel, 2014). Moreover, a sensitive issue concerning gay marriage and allowing same-sex parenting children evokes great controversies. Thus, qualitative research methods such as interviews, ethnography or focus groups can be appropriate in this area in order to gain insights of people’s opinion such as gay or lesbian parents. Is there a difference in same-sex parenting? Does parental sexual orientation affect child development? This essay will illustrate how qualitative methods can be useful in gathering information, opinions and attitudes of gay couples towards same-sex parenting. This essay will outline two qualitative methods according to this issue and critically evaluate which of the two qualitative methods (ethnography or interviews) could be appropriate in approaching this social issue. In conclusion, the essay will explain why ethnography is a more suitable approach to this topic rather than interview approach.