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A family of choice, also known as chosen family, found family, kith and kin, or
hānai ''Hānai'' is a term used in the Hawaiian culture that refers to the informal adoption of one person by another. It can be used as an adjective, such as "''hānai'' child", or as a verb to ''hānai'' someone into the family. In the Hawaiian cultu ...
family is a term that refers to a non-biologically related group of people established to provide ongoing social support. Unlike a "family of origin" (the biological family or that in which one is raised), a family of choice is based on chosen bonds, not biological ones. Families of choice are common within the LGBT community, groups of veterans, supportive communities overcoming addiction or childhood abuse, and friend groups who have little to no contact with their biological parents. It refers to the group of people in an individual's life that satisfies the typical role of
family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
as a support system.


Family of choice in the LGBT community

LGBT individuals in particular often seek out families of choice when ostracization by their families of origin leave them in need of social support.
Kath Weston Kath Weston (born 2 November 1958) is an American anthropologist, author and academic. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and has twice received the Ruth Benedict Prize for anthropological works. Biography Kath Weston was born in Illinois on 2 Novembe ...
noted that in 1991, by coming out to their family of origin, an LGBT individual almost always runs some risk of being disowned. Many
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...
individuals, upon
coming out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
, face rejection or shame from the families they were raised in. Some research indicates that in the absence of social support by an individual’s family of origin, a family of choice can promote resilience.


See also


References

Social concepts {{sociology-stub