Queer Kinship and Family Change in Taiwan

In a discussion called Queer Kinship and Family Change in Taiwan, Amy Brainer — the assistant professor of women's and gender studies and sociology at UM Dearborn — assesses clues about how larger social, cultural and political shifts have altered the experiences of LGBTQ people in various age groups. This event will be on Friday, Feb. 21, and hosted by the University of Michigan's Institute for Research on Women and Gender.
"Interweaving the narratives of multiple family members, including parents and siblings of her queer and trans informants, Amy Brainer analyzes the strategies that families use to navigate their internal differences," write event organizers. "… Her findings bring light to new parenting and family discourses and enduring inequalities that shape the experiences of queer and heterosexual kin alike."
Brainer's research has taken her from analyzing political marches, support group meetings and family dinner tables in cities and small towns across Taiwan.
"She speaks with parents and siblings who vary in whether and to what extent they have made peace with having a queer or transgender family member, and queer and trans people who vary in what they hope for and expect from their families of origin," organizers say. "Across these diverse life stories, Brainer uses a feminist materialist framework to illuminate struggles for personal and sexual autonomy in the intimate context of family and home."
The Institute for Research on Women and Gender is located at 204 S State St., in Ann Arbor. This event will be from 2 to 3:30 p.m. There will be an instant-win raffle at the beginning of the event for five copies of the book. Find out more online at the group's Facebook page.