Â鶹´«Ã½

Many members of the community rely on their chosen family for support and kindness.

Chosen family allows members of the LGBTQ+ to find community, support, kindness and love. For many, chosen families are there in all aspects of their lives, including during the holiday season.

Tina Grace Jones, co-founder and treasurer of the Delmarva Pride Center, said chosen family is particularly important to members of the LGBTQ+ community, especially since biological families sometimes cast people out due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

“Chosen family really is about being there when somebody needs you and knowing that they’ll be there for you no matter what the circumstances are,� Jones said. “It’s not based on blood or this lineage that you can trace, but it’s based on love.�

Lauren Fierman, a member of the board of directors at Delmarva Pride Center, said even for those who are still connected with their biological families, chosen family can allow for people to be truly themselves.

“Your chosen family is there for you that everyone brings something to the table, whether it’s like a physical resource, an emotional shoulder to cry on,� Fierman said. “Your chosen family is there for you because they choose to. That’s in the name.�

For Jones, the impact chosen family can have in an LGBTQ+ person’s life is incredibly important. Chosen family can help members of the LGBTQ+ community stay safe due to the community’s high rate mental health struggles and suicidal inclinations.

“It’s not because there’s something wrong with us, but it’s because we don’t have those connections,� Jones said. “We don’t always have those connections that we need. And the one thing that the studies have shown again and again is the one thing that does the most good in reducing suicide rates among LGBTQ people is having one affirming person in your life.

“That’s that chosen family.�

Jones said chosen family will be there for you and support you in all ways. She recalls a time when one of her friends faced a medical emergency, and she was the first one to be called. Through contacting proper medical intervention, Jones was there to support and possibly saved her friend’s life.

For Fierman, chosen family can also help people explore gender expression. Fierman recalled a time when one of their close friends, who was not assigned female at birth, asked Fierman to teach them basic makeup application skills. Together, they were able to explore different aspects of femininity in a safe and welcoming space.

Jones said the moments where your chosen family shows up for you can be more than essential.

Jones recollects a time when she and her wife were foster parents for a gender nonbinary child who was not welcomed by any of their birth parents.

“Unfortunately, this child took their own life in our home two years ago because they couldn’t just deal with the pain of not having been accepted by their birth parents,� Jones said. “That’s probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever dealt with in my life, but the outpouring of love and support that we got from, not only blood family, but especially from the chosen family, was so amazing and so comforting.�

Though Jones understands it can be difficult for people to take initial steps toward community, she encourages all people, regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation, to find community at the Delmarva Pride Center

“Everybody needs hope, and everybody needs a place where they can say, ‘You know what, it’s okay. It’s OK to be who you are.’ And so that’s why we do what we do with our love of pride,� Jones said. “We can’t solve everything but one little step at a time.�