The Importance of Chosen Family
With traditional holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, coming up, it can be a difficult time for many of us in the LGBTQ+ community. That difficulty can stem from many different places, such as discomfort around what the holiday represents or a strained family relationship.
Connecting and spending time with others is vital to our experience as humans, but it can be disheartening or even unsafe to be around people who don’t fully accept or celebrate who we are. Some folks may have to spend the holidays hiding who they are or may not even be able to go home due to safety concerns. If you have an uncertain relationship with your family, it is all the more important to establish your family of choice.
Sitting down with loved ones for a special meal is something that many of us cherish. These moments help us feel more connected to the people around us and provide joyful memories that pick us up when we feel down. Feeling connected to others is one of the most important needs for good mental and emotional health. Your family of choice can help fill the space that your biological family once did. Your chosen family is the people with whom you are emotionally bonded with and who fully accept you. They are the people you can rely on, talk to, and show up as your true, authentic self.
You deserve to be around folks who uplift you and bring you joy. If your biological family can’t give that to you, it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you or that you are unlovable. It means that they don’t have enough love to give you.
Always remember: There are people in the world with enough love to give you.
When you identify your chosen family, you can create new, cherished holiday memories. If you don’t want to celebrate Thanksgiving, you can still sit down with loved ones for a big, delicious meal during the last week of November to celebrate National Family Week instead! National Family Week has been around since 1972 and is always observed on the fourth week of November, making it the perfect Thanksgiving alternative.
So, no matter what or where you celebrate this year, spend time with your family of choice and make happy, joyful memories.