Knowra Chosen family Chosen family Chosen family is a network of close relationships treated as family despite lacking required biological or legal ties. Members may provide care, belonging, and practical support.
Kinship : The network of relationships and obligations through which people understand themselves as related. Chosen family extends kinship beyond biological descent and legally recognized ties.
HIV/AIDS activism : Collective organizing against the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its social, political, and medical harms. Activist networks often became sources of care for people rejected or unsupported elsewhere.
Biological family : People related through genetic descent or biological parenthood. Chosen family does not require shared ancestry, though it can coexist with biological family.
Minority stress : The chronic stress produced by stigma, prejudice, and discrimination directed at marginalized groups. Chosen family can buffer isolation and stress caused by rejection or discrimination.
Adult guardianship : A legal arrangement authorizing someone to make decisions for an adult deemed unable to make them independently. Chosen family members may lack authority to act when formal decision-making rules privilege relatives.
Queer kinship : Forms of family and relatedness developed within LGBTQ communities, often beyond biological or legal ties. Chosen family has been a central way LGBTQ people build belonging and mutual care.
LGBTQ community : A broad social and cultural community of people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Chosen family is widely practiced within LGBTQ communities, though it is not exclusive to them.
Legal family : People connected through relationships recognized by law, such as marriage, adoption, or parentage. Chosen family may lack formal legal recognition despite functioning as family.
Social isolation : A lack of social contact or meaningful connection with other people. Chosen family can counter isolation by creating dependable relationships and shared life.
Advance healthcare directive : A legal document stating a person's healthcare preferences and appointing someone to make decisions if needed. It offers a way to name a chosen family member as a medical decision-maker.
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