Mapping Belonging: LGBTQIA+ Family Practices and the Politics of Everyday Life in Finland

In many European countries, the policy landscape for LGBTQIA+ people and families has changed significantly. A lot of scholarly attention has focused on the backlash caused by anti-gender politics. Yet, many countries have adopted progressive reforms such as same-sex marriage rights and stronger rights and recognition for trans people. Despite these reforms, tenacious cis- and heteronormativity remains deeply embedded in family policy, institutional practices, and everyday encounters. Previous research has mainly focused on legal frameworks (e.g., Koulu et al. 2023; Leibetseder 2018; Moring 2023; see also Dahl & Gabb 2019), whereas the everyday meaning-making through which LGBTQIA+ adults and parents experience a sense of belonging and negotiate family boundaries remains underexplored. This study fills the gap by analysing how adults living in LGBTQIA+ families in Finland define family, negotiate familial boundaries, and create everyday places of intimacy and care. Finland is an interesting case because the recent LGBTQIA+ inclusive reforms, for instance, in the Parenthood Act (2022) and the Child Custody Act (2019) were adopted under the former government. In contrast, the current government is a conservative right-wing/far-right coalition. Drawing on semi-structured interviews (n=13) conducted during 2023–2024 and creative family mapping methods, the study builds an innovative methodology to understand LGBTQIA+ family life in Finland. The study used the visual family mapping method as a feminist methodology that emphasised embodied knowledge, affective ties, and family practices. Through these qualitative methods, the study highlights how LGBTQIA+ adults negotiate their belonging within and against the cis- and heteronormative ideas of living that are rooted in Finnish society. The study makes three contributions. First, it demonstrates how the family practices of LGBTQIA+ families make visible the limitations of recent policy reforms. Second, the study maps conceptualisations of ‘family’ by emphasising lived experiences that often remain on the margins. Third, it advances feminist debates on family politics, LGBTQIA+ rights, and the politics of everyday life. Together, these findings call for rethinking Finnish family policy. Overall, the study argues that analysing the everyday dynamics of LGBTQIA+ family life through visual methods enriches empirical research on families and understanding of contemporary family life in Finland.