For many, the Thanksgiving holidays are a time to gather with your biological relatives. But what if you don’t have the traditional, Norman-Rockwell family? April Few-Demo (Virginia Tech) studies how queer families of color, especially Black lesbians, navigate biological and chosen family. She says that dialogue about identity and acceptance might happen in subtle ways during the holidays. And: Shannon Davis (George Mason University) argues that we should remember those families who can’t get together during the holidays at all, because time off work is too high a price to pay. Plus: Laura Heston (Oxford University Press) shares how they and their LGBTQ chosen family celebrate a “Friendsgiving,” complete with drama and drag.

Later in the show: Some scholars argue that what we call non-traditional families aren’t so non-traditional after all. Alicia Andrzejewski (William and Mary) has found chosen families and alternative bonds throughout the works of William Shakespeare. And: Before she became an instructor, Rosalyn Durham (Norfolk State) was a social worker helping families in crisis. She shares her strategies for supporting families experiencing trauma, including how families can stay connected when a child is placed into foster care.