Modeling Homonormativity: A Grounded Theory of Pursuing Queer Parenthood in The South

Previous research on LGBTQ* people and families in the U.S. has largely focused on coastal and midwestern metropolitan areas, even while the majority of queer families are built and sustained in the South. This grounded theory study sought to understand the processes and politics of pursuing parenthood in the U.S. South from within a queer relationship using interview data with 14 individuals. The sociopolitical context of the South is particularly reactionary and conservative, with anti-LGBTQ* legislation proliferating across the region, making inclusion in and privileges of traditional normative family institutions more difficult to attain there, despite federal progress in legislation and social acceptance. Simultaneously, the heteronormativity of the South informs the values and desires of its inhabitants, including LGBTQ* individuals. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, modeling homonormativity was identified as the central process of pursuing parenthood (e.g., aligning values, securing/protecting the family, fulfilling their destiny). Participants’ visions and preferences for family configuration were informed by and varied based on their level of adherence to Southern cultural norms and thus heteronormativity. The level of buy-in to heteronormativity simultaneously determined the incurred costs of the process such that the more closely one complied with homonormativity, the greater the violation in being denied the privileges of heteronormativity. Even in the face of this adversity, couples persisted in pursuing parenthood, reclaiming the South as the rightful home for the families they had long dreamt of. Results have implications for future research on sociopolitical impacts on queer families as well as advocacy and policy efforts in the region.