To a lot of individuals, family has always been associated with the biological family, where parents, brothers, and relatives connected either by blood or through marriage are the family members. But to a lot of LGBTQ+ people, family is conceptualised in a wider and purposeful sense. Chosen family describes intimate and supportive bonds between people who do not necessarily relate through biological ties, such as family or blood ties. Such families consist of friends, romantic partners, mentors, and community members who offer love, care, and acceptance. Chosen family is not just a social substitute for many members of the LGBTQ+, but a vital source of emotional stability and mental health.

The topicality of the selected family is based on the social issues to which LGBTQ+ individuals tend to be exposed. Although awareness and legal developments are on the increase in certain societies, it is still observed that rejection and misconceptions in the course of biological families are widespread. Coming out may lead to emotional distancing from feelings, sour relationships or even estrangement. In more extreme situations, other people can be verbally abused, coerced, or even left homeless. The decreased family support in such times of vulnerability may cause permanent mental distress, and thus other support systems are necessary to survive.

Chosen family is also a natural reaction to such rejection. It is constructed deliberately with the help of understanding, trust and care. In contrast to the biological families, which are established by birth, the chosen families are ones created by choice. The LGBTQ+ individuals find people who can validate their identities and honour their experiences in life. This purposeful connection forms an emotionally secure space where people can be very expressive without the fear of being judged, shamed or treated in conditional terms.

The sense of belonging and emotional insecurity are directly linked to mental well-being. As it is continually revealed in psychological research, a robust social support system minimises what is commonly known as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Chosen family often serves as this protective buffer to LGBTQ+ individuals. Chosen families adopt biological families, providing them with empathy, reassurance, and consistency when the biological family does not give them affirmation or care. The feeling that one is loved and accepted the way he or she is can go a long way in helping to eliminate the aspect of isolation and internalised stigma.

Another significant role is the selected family in identity development and self-acceptance. To a great number of LGBTQ+ people, particularly those who come out in their teenage years or earlier adulthood, coming to terms with their identity and accepting it can be both bewildering and emotionally distressing. Guidance, encouragement and validation are given by chosen family members who are usually peers having a similar experience. By sharing their experiences and having resilience together, people can get to know that their problems are not unusual or embarrassing, which enhances self-esteem and encourages healthier coping mechanisms.

In addition to emotional support, the chosen families frequently offer their practical help, which has a direct influence on the mental state. This aid can be in the form of providing temporary accommodation, pooling financial assets, job-seeking support, or help in navigating health care systems. Homelessness, unemployment, and discrimination in healthcare are disproportionately experienced by LGBTQ+ individuals. Under such circumstances, the selected family serves as a non-formalised safety net that alleviates stress and ambiguity that would otherwise aggravate mental health outcomes.

Chosen family is especially crucial in the case of older members of the LGBTQ+ community. Most of them have been brought up in times when queer identities were either criminalised, stigmatised or even viewed as a disease. Consequently, others became detached from their biological relations or did not acquire the classical family units. Later in life, the chosen families will assist in the fight against loneliness and social isolation, which are the degrading factors of deteriorating mental health among the elderly. These bondages guarantee further companionship, emotional attention and honour.

It should be noted that biological family is not necessarily going to be substituted by chosen family. There are those individuals of the LGBTQ community who have positive relationships with their biological family members, but also develop the so-called chosen family members. Whereas a biological family may not provide adequate emotional or social needs, the selected family may complement the biological family by supplying those needs in a deficient way. This broadened perspective of family issues sketches over the narrow definitions held on blood relations only and insists on care, commitment, and respect.

Although having numerous advantages, chosen family is not always recognised by legal and institutional means. The selected family members can be refused the opportunity to visit patients in the hospital, make medical decisions or inherit. This inability to be recognised may cause emotional trauma in case of an emergency or sickness. However, the LGBTQ+ communities still promote non-discriminatory policies, which define different family structures and legalise family relationships of choice.

To sum up, the notion of a chosen family has become the key to comprehending the lived experience of most LGBTQ+ people. It comes about due to the necessity to be accepted, safe and belong within settings that do not guarantee the support of the biological family. Chosen families safeguard and improve mental health through emotional affirmation, identity assurance, and concrete care. The impact of acknowledging and appreciating chosen families will help society shift to more inclusive definitions of family based on love, resilience and true human bonding.

Chosen family also increases resilience in LGBTQ+ communities. By experiencing common festivities, rituals, and taking care of each other, people establish traditions, strengthening the sense of belonging and continuity. Such networks assist members in overcoming discrimination, social rejection, and daily pressures. Informal networks, peer support groups and community gatherings tend to become empowering and healing places. Seeing others live their true lives, people have hope and inspiration to live a good life. This way, the concept of chosen family goes beyond personal relations to become a larger cultural tradition that supports the mental health of generations. It also promotes advocacy, solidarity and shared responsibility among members. Such relationships help people to remember that they are not alone, their lives are worth living, and that care may be without the conventional system, particularly in societies where the level of acceptance is low and disproportionate. This fact still defines the queer survival, resistance, and emotional healing in the contemporary world in various cultures, ages, and social statuses.

References:

• Weston, K. (1991). Families we choose: Lesbians, gays, kinship. New York: Columbia University Press.
• Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 674–697.
• Ryan, C., Russell, S. T., Huebner, D., Diaz, R., & Sanchez, J. (2010). Family acceptance in adolescence and the health of LGBT young adults. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 23(4), 205–213.
• Chosen Family and Mental Health. (2019). American Psychological Association.
• Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. I., Kim, H. J., Shiu, C., Goldsen, J., & Emlet, C. A. (2015). Successful ageing among LGBT older adults: Physical and mental health-related quality of life. The Gerontologist, 55(1), 154–168.
• Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529.

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