It was Boxing Day in 2012 when Rachel (not her real name) watched as her friend’s family discussed equal marriage, which was going through parliament at the time, around the dining table. Shrinking into her gin and tonic in the corner, she listened as her mate’s uncle said how, if he were in the politicians’ position, he would “have a long think and then probably vote for it”. But, she says, her friend’s dad was shocked by these comments and, heartwarmingly, launched into an “impassioned monologue” about why marriage equality was so important. “It still stands in my head that this was something that he just didn’t have to do, and he made sure that he spoke out,” she recalls. For Rachel, now in her mid-30s, this was just one lovely moment she remembers from the many Christmases spent with her chosen family.
These are non-biological kinships, deliberately chosen to provide mutual support and love, which are historically rooted in the LGBTQI community, where familial rejection remains a major issue.