There’s the family that you’re born with, and then there’s the family that you choose. The concept of chosen family took hold several decades ago in the LGBTQ+ community often out of necessity when people were rejected by their biological families and developed familial relationships with new loved ones. Experts define chosen family as people who you are not tied to by blood or law, but who you treat as family. Your chosen family is there for you not because they’re related, but because you relate to them. We discuss chosen families, how they are formed and what they mean to people.

Guests:

Nayeema Raza, documentary filmmaker and senior editor, New York Times Opinion. She's also the author of the article "My Father’s Last Gift to Me Came After His Death."

Dawn O. Braithwaite, professor emeritus of communication, Department of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Baruch Porras-Hernandez, writer, performer, organizer, host, curator, stand up comedian, and author of the chapbooks “I Miss You, Delicate” and “Lovers of the Deep Fried Circle” and co-organizar of KQED's ¿Dónde Esta Mi Gente? Literary Series

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices