Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol.4 Issue 2

Redefining
Family
Jermaine Ball
Since the 1960s, the nuclear family structure
has been viewed as a mother, a father and their
children living under one roof.
However, as this structure declined because of marriage
and economic stability, there has been a growing
recognition of alternative familial structures, single
parent/guardian households or chosen families within
the LGBTQ+ community.
About 80% of single parents experienced discrimination
and certain groups, including Black single parents and
single parents of color, face additional layers of stigma
and discrimination, according to a single parent rights
2020 survey.
Often, the nuclear family structure has been used to make
single-parent households, especially people of color, feel
inadequate. Contrary to that narrative, they are resilient
examples of adaptability and strength.
These households often emerge from various
circumstances, including divorce, separation, or just
personal choice, and should be celebrated for the unique
strengths they bring to family dynamics.
Christopher McIver, a single father of four, said that the
challenge of being a single father is when you see your
child’s development.
“When it comes to my 4-year-old, his mom not being
there, what that has caused me to have to be is softer, as
they describe it,” McIver said. “I can’t just rule with this
iron fist, so to speak, all the time. It has to be, you know,
a little more cushion.”
McIver encouraged single parents to be willing to have
tough conversations with their children, as it is a pivotal
part of all healthy parent-child relationships.
“Don’t shy away from those conversations because those
are the conversations that will actually make or break a
bond between the parent and child,” McIver said. “Not
just talking in those conversations, but listening to your
child, hearing what they have to say.”
Members of the LGBTQ+ community often must define
what family means to them when they are ousted from
their family.
Even when traditional families are accepting and
understanding, the unique challenges faced by individuals
within the LGBTQ+ community force them to form their
own families.
These spaces can look like support groups, adopted family,
friends, or even organizations like True Colors United,
which helps to combat homelessness among LGBTQ+
youth.
LGBTQ+ youth are at a 120% higher risk of experiencing
some form of homelessness, according to a 2023 study
from the National Network for Youth.
“There are a lot of queer and [transgender] youth
especially that maybe have experienced rejection from
their families,” said Kahlib Barton, the Chief Program
Officer of True Colors United. “So, they’re looking for
those systems of social support.”
LGBTQ+ spaces serve as more than just a support
network; they become much-needed sources of guidance,
empathy, and shared understanding in a world that may
not always recognize or validate the diverse experiences
of their community.
“I think it’s very important to be just mindful that everyone
needs somebody,” Barton said. “Whether you define that
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