nce to those of us who deviate from binary restrictions of gender and compulsory heterosexuality. This is not to say that family problems do not exist outside of the LGBT identity; rather, it can be a compounding factor that fuels problematic family relations.
There are events in our lives that we wish to share with family and friends during the holidays, events that we see in fiction to be celebrated jubilantly with friends and family. In reality, so often (and much like the fictional accounts) the requirements of hegemony are met. All of the holiday movies I’ve seen predominantly feature heterosexual couples of the same race, showing that media is but one arm of the social police.
Imagine announcing to your family that you are engaged to your same-sex or trans partner and all you wish is for your love to be celebrated and honoured, but instead you are met with denial, disapproval, and possibly unsavoury ultimatums from your family.
It’s so easy for people to be boastful of the purchase of some expensive material item and yet completely lack the enthusiasm to celebrate love, due only to the idea that LGBT identities and relationships are a burden on the social standing of the family, or that it’s not within the dreaming minds of the parents who see idle social conformity as blissful success.