Scottish Same-Sex Families: Relational Negotiations and Belongings

This chapter explores the construction of LGBTQ2 families through narratives of older, same-sex couples in Scotland, illustrating the importance of biological and chosen family members in their lives. By addressing empirical and conceptual considerations of how older, same-sex couples in Scotland imagined their future, this chapter contributes to a better understanding of the formation of LGBTQ2 families through the process of parental coming out and entering new relationships. It explores their children’s acceptance of these new unions, the impact the new family formations had on the children’s sexual identity, and the coming out process. Furthermore, the chapter contextualizes these families within the Scottish framework, arguing that the support received from the Scottish government is vital in realizing their parental and familial projects. Empirically, the chapter illustrates the lived experiences of these families. By embedding these families in the wider sociocultural context in which they negotiate their identity and the relationships within their families, the chapter emphasizes the impact of the social world on the self. In these ways, a better understanding of the concept of imagined families within the Scottish framework can be reached.