A Shout Out to Chosen Families on Family Day

I consider myself very fortunate to be an out queer woman who has a great relationship with her family. There are many, many LGBT folks who aren't so lucky. That's where the idea of the "Chosen Family" comes from.

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A chosen family consists of people we have strong ties, even if those ties are not biological. It's kind of a queer community term, but you certainly don't have to be queer to consider yourself a member of a chosen family.

To me, a family is love, and love means sticking it out even when you drive each other crazy. Family consists of those people you can disagree with, maybe have a screaming match with every once in a while, and know they'll still be there the next day.

Family are those people you tell everything, or perhaps delay telling about that new crush because you know they're going to say, "Don't even think about it! She's not good enough for you!" They're the people who laugh when you get a bad haircut and poke your belly when you're putting on weight.

At a glance, this painting of "Family" seems awfully...awful! You might be thinking, "Sheesh, I would never want a family like that!" But family is so much more than just nit-pickers and belly-pokers. They're the people you can call in tears at three o'clock in the morning, the ones who grumble about helping you move yet again but do it anyway. They celebrate holidays with you, and pick up little gifts because "it was on sale and it made me think of you."

A true family's bond is thicker than blood, and when you're with those people who love you unconditionally, you feel their warmth. They'll always be there to support you through life, and you'll always be there for them.

That's a chosen family.

Happy Family Day!

Hugs,

Giselle