Chosen: Canadian Queer Kinship Stories

About This Study

Documenting the families we choose.

For many 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians, family is not simply given — it is chosen. Chosen families are networks of care and belonging, deliberately constructed by individuals whose relationships to their families of origin may be complex, strained, or severed altogether.

These chosen family structures provide primary care, emotional support, and practical solidarity. They are, for many participants, the most significant relationships in their lives. Yet they hold almost no legal standing in Canadian family law.

Chosen: Canadian Queer Kinship Stories documents these family structures, the practices through which they are created and maintained, and what their legal invisibility means for the people who depend on them.

Research Questions

What we’re seeking to understand.

Question 1

How do 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians describe and understand the kinship networks they have built?

Question 2

What practices — formal and informal — do chosen families use to create recognition and protection?

Question 3

Where does the law fail to provide the recognition and protection that chosen families require?

Question 4

What reform would meaningfully improve legal recognition for chosen family structures?

Now Recruiting Participants

We are seeking two groups of participants: 2SLGBTQIA+ community members with experience of chosen family structures, and legal practitioners with relevant expertise. Participation involves a single interview conducted by video call, at a time that is convenient for you.

2SLGBTQIA+ Community Members

We are seeking 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians who consider themselves part of a chosen family or who have built significant care networks outside their family of origin. You do not need to use the term “chosen family” to participate — we are interested in a wide range of kinship experiences.

Express Interest — Community Member

For 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians with experience of chosen family structures. Participation is voluntary and fully confidential.

Name (or preferred name)

Email Address

Province / Territory

How did you hear about this study?

Anything you'd like us to know before we reach out? (optional)

Participant Information. This study is conducted in accordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS-2). Your contact information will be used only to follow up about participation in the Chosen study. Interviews are confidential. You may withdraw at any time without consequence.

I understand that participation is voluntary and fully confidential, and that my contact information will be used only to follow up about this study.

✓ Thank you. A member of the research team will be in touch soon.

Something went wrong. Please email research@familyjusticeresearch.org.

Legal Practitioners

We are also seeking legal practitioners — family lawyers, notaries, social workers, and other professionals — who have experience working with 2SLGBTQIA+ clients navigating family law. Your professional perspective on the gaps and reform needs is a vital part of this research.

Express Interest — Legal Practitioner

For family lawyers, notaries, social workers, and other professionals working with 2SLGBTQIA+ clients navigating family law.

Name

Email Address

Organisation / Firm

Professional Role

Province / Territory of Practice

Brief description of your practice context (optional)