Book Review: Queer Kinship by Tyler Bradway and Elizabeth Freeman

Introduction

Queer kinship, at its core, pushes the boundaries of conventional family structures. As societal norms around family, care, and belonging shift, the idea of the queer chosen family has evolved, becoming an essential part of queer life. Historically, chosen families have been vital for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, providing care and support when biological families were sources of rejection or exclusion. However, in recent years, queer kinship has transcended survival, emerging as a radical possibility for new forms of relationality rooted in mutual care, pleasure, and collective well-being.

Queer kinship today not only responds to marginalization but also resists capitalist ideals of the nuclear family. Rather than adhering to a possessive, biogenetic-based model, queer kinship advocates for networks of care that prioritize redistribution, anti-oppressive love, and the collectivization of reproductive labour. Robinou (2023) describes this as a manifesto for “queer communal kinship”—a framework that rejects relational scarcity and reclaims care as a shared, expansive, and liberating force. This concept challenges the metaphysics of private property and envisions how communal bonding and affection can dismantle capitalist individualism.

In Queer Kinship (2022), editors Tyler Bradway and Elizabeth Freeman offer a compelling framework that expands beyond biological ties, exploring how we make kinship, live it, and sometimes resist it. For trans*, nonbinary, and gender-expansive clients—and those who love them—this anthology is an important exploration of how queer individuals create familial bonds amidst marginalization and societal norms.

As someone who provides mental health care to Two-Spirit, trans, nonbinary, and gender expansive clients, this book offers insights into how clients are forming new familial structures, often outside the traditional bounds of biology or legal recognition. It gives voice to how these kinship networks are sites of survival, resistance, and care. In this review, I will highlight key insights and therapeutic applications, and offer a comparison with Families We Choose by Kath Weston (1991), an earlier work that explored how lesbians and gay men constructed kinship outside of their biological families.

First Impressions

From the very beginning, Queer Kinship captivates with its bold assertion that queer theory is fundamentally about kinship, proposing that kinship is central to the ways queer people navigate the world. Rather than being a static or peripheral topic, kinship in this context becomes a dynamic lens through which power, intimacy, and belonging are interrogated. This theme resonates profoundly in therapeutic settings, where clients—particularly those who identify as Two Spirit, trans, nonbinary, and gender expansive—often find themselves in the midst of renegotiating familial ties or forming new, non-traditional kinship structures. Bradway and Freeman, as editors, frame these discussions with remarkable depth, offering the reader an intricate exploration of the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and intimacy.

The text acknowledges the complexities of queer kinship, particularly as it relates to experiences of violence, marginalization, and systemic oppression. This exploration does not shy away from the fact that kinship can sometimes be a site of harm—where normative ideologies impose control or rejection—but it also highlights the capacity of queer kinship to foster belonging, healing, and community. These dualities are part of what makes this anthology both academically rich and deeply human. It recognizes that queer kinship exists in a space of contradiction, where intimacy can be both a refuge and a battleground.

One of the more striking concepts introduced early in the book is “kincoherence,” a term that encapsulates the inherent instability of queer kinship. Kinship, the editors argue, is rarely straightforward for queer individuals. It is often fractured by societal norms, legal barriers, and exclusionary practices, yet it is within these very fractures that queer kinship thrives. This concept of paradox feels particularly relevant when working therapeutically with trans and nonbinary clients, who frequently navigate contradictory experiences of acceptance and rejection, belonging and isolation—both within biological families and chosen families.

For example, in my practice, I’ve seen how clients might find themselves celebrated by their chosen kin while simultaneously feeling alienated by biological relatives who cannot accept their gender identities. This ongoing negotiation of who is included in one’s kin network—and on what terms—often forms a crucial part of the therapeutic work. Queer Kinship provides an academic framework for understanding these lived realities, grounding the discussion in queer theory while offering practical insights that therapists and clients alike can use to navigate the complexities of relational belonging.

Kinship: Beyond Bloodlines and Boundaries

One of the standout sections of Queer Kinship is Judith Butler’s essay, Kinship Beyond the Bloodline. Butler critiques the traditional notion that family and kinship must be grounded in biological or blood relations, instead advocating for kinship formed through care, mutual support, and shared experiences. This is a crucial concept for the queer community, where families of origin may not always be sources of acceptance. For trans*, nonbinary, and queer clients, these alternative forms of kinship can provide much-needed safety and affirmation. As therapists, we must acknowledge that the kinship networks our clients create through friendships, partnerships, and chosen families often serve as essential lifelines, offering spaces of belonging and care that may be absent in more traditional family structures.

Butler’s argument in this essay reflects a broader theme present throughout Queer Kinship—the fluidity and inclusivity of kinship in queer contexts. This anthology moves beyond the historical focus on lesbian women and gay men, offering a more expansive understanding of queer kinship that includes trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive individuals, as well as those navigating intersectional identities related to race, class, and ability. This inclusive framework resonates deeply in therapeutic settings, where the complexities of clients’ identities and relationships can be held with care and attention.

It is important to honour how Families We Choose by Kath Weston (1991) was groundbreaking in its time. Weston’s work focused on the experiences of lesbians and gay men, documenting how these communities formed chosen families as acts of resistance and survival. At the time, the emphasis on chosen families was revolutionary, providing a framework for understanding how queer individuals, often rejected by their biological families, created alternative support systems that were just as strong and significant.

Queer Kinship builds on this foundation while extending the conversation into more contemporary and inclusive terrains. It honours the legacy of Families We Choose while addressing the realities of queer kinship today, where intersectionality plays a key role. By expanding the focus to include a broader spectrum of queer identities and experiences, Queer Kinship offers an updated vision of what it means to form, nurture, and sustain relationships that transcend the boundaries of bloodlines.

Queer Kinship Reflections in Therapy

In my practice, Queer Kinship provides a treasure trove of insights for remaining mindful of Two Spirit, trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive adults and their queer community kinships. One of the strengths of the anthology is its ability to ground theoretical concepts in real-world examples that deeply resonate with the lived experiences of my clients. Dilara Çalışkan’s chapter on trans mothers and daughters in Istanbul is particularly poignant. It reveals how kinship is not just about the formation of familial bonds but also about survival in hostile environments. In Istanbul, trans women form maternal relationships not only as acts of care but as a means of navigating social marginalization and state violence. This mirrors the experiences of many of my clients, who have found their chosen families to be vital sources of affirmation, safety, and love when their biological families could not—or would not—provide these essential needs.

For trans*, nonbinary, and queer individuals, chosen families often serve as protective networks that counteract the rejection, shame, and isolation they may face in traditional family settings. In therapy, Queer Kinship reinforces the importance of acknowledging and validating these networks as legitimate and vital sources of support. It also invites therapists to reflect on the emotional labour and resilience required by clients who are building these alternative kinship systems while navigating the constant threat of exclusion from state-recognized family structures.

Another crucial takeaway from Queer Kinship is how deeply kinship is tied to state power and exclusion. Mark Rifkin’s essay, Beyond Family, explores how governments define who is considered family, often excluding queer relationships from legal recognition. For trans and nonbinary individuals, this issue is particularly salient when it comes to the legal recognition of their families, marriages, or partnerships. Whether it’s accessing healthcare for a partner, securing legal parental rights, or navigating adoption processes, queer individuals often find themselves up against systems that fail to recognize their chosen kinships.

In my therapeutic practice, this is a recurring theme in conversations with clients who are navigating these legal and social challenges. Rifkin’s discussion of how state power shapes definitions of family echoes the battles described in Kath Weston’s Families We Choose, where lesbians and gay men fought for their families to be acknowledged by legal and social systems. However, Queer Kinship takes this conversation further, considering the additional complexities faced by trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive individuals. The anthology encourages therapists to bring these issues into therapeutic spaces, not only to provide emotional support but also to strategize with clients on how to navigate these systemic barriers.

These legal and medical challenges—whether they involve gender recognition, adoption rights, or hospital visitation—often become central to therapeutic discussions about identity, belonging, and the politics of kinship. By understanding and integrating the concepts from Queer Kinship, therapists can offer more nuanced support to clients facing these ongoing struggles, validating their relationships and advocating for broader recognition of their chosen families in both personal and public spheres.

How This Book Stands Out

What makes Queer Kinship stand apart from Families We Choose is its robust engagement with intersectionality and its emphasis on global contexts. While Weston’s pioneering work focused largely on lesbian and gay families in the U.S., Queer Kinship shifts and broadens the conversation by weaving together threads of race, ethnicity, gender identity, and global queer experiences. This intersectional lens provides a more comprehensive view of kinship, acknowledging that queer families are formed within complex socio-political landscapes where identity categories overlap and inform each other. For therapists working in diverse and intersectional communities, this broader approach is invaluable, as it offers insight into how kinship is constructed across multiple axes of identity.

A notable example of this is Joseph M. Pierce’s work on Native adoption practices and kinship, which adds critical layers of complexity to how we think about belonging in colonized and marginalized communities. Pierce’s exploration of kinship within Indigenous communities challenges Western notions of family and reminds us that kinship is not only about who we are related to but also about the cultural, spiritual, and historical practices that shape how we define belonging. For Two Spirit, trans, and nonbinary clients who may also be navigating the legacies of colonization, understanding these broader kinship frameworks is essential to affirming their identities and their place within both queer and Indigenous communities. Queer Kinship provides the tools to explore how colonial histories and present-day marginalizations affect the formation and recognition of these families, deepening our understanding of the importance of cultural context in the therapeutic process.

Moreover, the anthology introduces a fascinating concept—“kin-aesthetics”—which Bradway and Freeman define as the creative forms through which kinship is expressed and experienced. This concept pushes us to consider kinship not only as a set of relationships but as an evolving, living art form. For queer individuals who often build families through creative means, whether through nontraditional unions, community ties, or radical care networks, kin-aesthetics captures the fluid, imaginative ways kinship can be embodied. This idea of kinship as art is particularly powerful for those of us working in art therapy, where clients can use creative mediums to express their nontraditional familial bonds.

As a trans and queer Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC), I find the idea of kin-aesthetics invigorating, and I see immediate applications in therapeutic practice. Encouraging clients to explore their kinship networks through artistic expression—whether through visual arts, poetry, performance, or bodily movement—can help them articulate relationships that defy traditional family structures. For clients who struggle to express their feelings of belonging or exclusion through words alone, art therapy can offer an alternative language. This is especially useful for trans, nonbinary, and queer clients who are navigating complex emotions related to identity, family, and community. Art therapy, in this context, becomes a way to externalize and explore the fluidity of their relationships in a safe, creative space.

Additionally, Queer Kinship pushes us to consider kinship not just as a personal or intimate concept but as a political one. It asks us to reflect on how kinship networks are shaped by power dynamics, legal recognition, and access to resources. For queer individuals, whose families may not be legally recognized or whose kinship structures may be actively marginalized by state and social systems, this political framing is crucial. The book’s engagement with global queer experiences, from trans mothers in Istanbul to Indigenous kinship systems in the Americas, broadens our understanding of the multiple ways queer families are forged, resisted, and celebrated across different contexts. This global and intersectional perspective is what makes Queer Kinship stand out as a necessary text for therapists working with diverse queer populations.

By offering such a wide-ranging and inclusive approach to kinship, Queer Kinship moves beyond the foundational work of Families We Choose to reflect the complexities of queer kinship in the 21st century. It emphasizes not only the personal significance of chosen families but also the ways in which these families are sites of resistance, creativity, and survival. For therapists, the book serves as both a theoretical guide and a practical resource, offering new ways to think about and engage with kinship in the therapeutic space.

Conclusion

Queer Kinship is an essential resource for therapists, clients, and anyone invested in understanding the fluid and evolving nature of kinship within queer communities. It invites us to reimagine intimacy, care, and belonging, particularly for those whose identities exist outside the margins of societal norms. The anthology is not just a theoretical exploration; it is a practical guide for fostering queer belonging in therapeutic spaces and beyond. It challenges us to honour the diverse ways in which queer individuals create families, often in defiance of exclusionary legal and social systems, while offering a compassionate roadmap for therapists supporting clients in their kinship journeys.

For those familiar with Kath Weston’s Families We Choose, Queer Kinship offers a fresh and necessary update, expanding the conversation to include a wider spectrum of queer experiences and intersectional identities. Bradway and Freeman’s anthology honours the foundational work of Weston while pushing the boundaries of how we understand kinship today. Together, these books provide a profound understanding of how queer people build and sustain kinship in a world that continues to challenge their right to belong.

Let’s Continue the Conversation

If the ideas in this blog resonate with you or someone you care about, I invite you to take the next step. Whether you’re a therapist seeking support with integrating kinship and queer theory into your practice, or someone navigating the complexities of chosen family and looking for compassionate, affirming guidance, I’m here to help. You may book an individual therapy session or peer consultation with me to explore how we can build meaningful, affirming connections together. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to connect with me. And be sure to bookmark this blog for future book reviews and insights.

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References

Bradway, T., & Freeman, E. (Eds.). (2021). Queer kinship: Race, sex, belonging, form. Duke University Press.

Weston, K. (1991). Families we choose: Lesbians, gays, kinship. Columbia University Press.