The sociodemographic transformations which occurred in the last decades (e.g., growth of life expectancy, increased participation of women in the labor market) have had a profound impact in family life. Intergenerational solidarity constitutes today, more than ever, a valuable resource to family functioning, especially in countries characterized by familistic values and where the State does not provide the necessary support to families, such as Portugal. Furthermore, family research has been characterized by heteronormativity and studies with families with nonheterosexual children have mainly focused on specific variables associated with the sexual identity of these individuals. Thus, there is gap in research about intergenerational solidarity processes between nonheterosexual adult children and their parents. Relying on the conceptual framework of the Intergenerational Solidarity Paradigm (Bengtson & Roberts, 1991), we focused on relationships between adult children and their parents. More specifically, we investigated how perceptions of different types of solidarity (e.g. functional, normative, conflictual) vary according to adult children’s gender and sexual orientation. We used a quantitative approach and our sample is constituted by 530 participants: 50.6% women and 54.9% heterosexuals. Results suggest that LGB participants perceived less intergenerational solidarity from their parents than their heterosexual counterparts. Moreover, LGB individuals reported higher levels of conflictual solidarity with their fathers than with their mothers. Results are discussed taking into account (i) scholarship on gender norms and expectations, (ii) research on family processes in families with LGB members, and (iii) characteristics of the Portuguese cultural context.

Intersexed bodies and secrecy are intertwined historically through the medical system's practice. The medical professionals since 1950's ought to quickly normalize intersexed bodies through surgeries and hormonal treatments, in order to fix and conceal the bodily ambiguity and maintain the sex/gender socially order. We will describe the differences between parents who disclosed and speak openly about their children's bodies and parents who conceal their children intersexed bodies in varied ways. This is a collaborative narrative research; still in develop process, which includes 17 parents, 8 parents from Israel and 9 from Germany. There are three main parental strategies we are focusing on in our research, bodily dialogue, gender/sex framing and concealing/revealing practices. In this paper we will describe and demonstrate the concealing/revealing practices of the parents, how they maneuvering between private/public spheres and in which inter-relation spaces they conceal/reveal their children's' bodies.

The present paper provides insights into the experiences of partners of transgender people. Existing research on this topic shows us that coming out as transgender by one partner during marriage or a long term relationship can be a shock for the other partner and often results in relationship dissolution. When the couple has children together this brings additional challenges. Various studies suggest that partners may need to feel that they are involved in the disclosure process towards their children and that they play particularly a decisive role in the way children react on the transition of their transgender parent. Current paper addresses the topic of being partner and at the same parent when your partner comes out and decides to transition. We ask the question which different role conflicts play. Consistent with the multi-actor method and in the tradition of Grounded theory, in-depth interviews were conducted and analysed. At the moment we have interviewed 10 cisgender partners and ex-partners about their experiences during the coming out of their transgender partner or ex-partner. Additional interviews were conducted with their transgender partner or ex-partner (n=8). More interviews in the spring and summer of 2016 will follow. Until now, Various experiences and roles of these partners and ex-partners were observed which can conflicting with each other: Being a supportive ally, a hurt and disappointed romantic partner, an intimate partner with a certain sexual orientation, and a protective parent for their children.

In Spanish law, the mother is the woman who gives birth to the baby. Surrogacy contracts are null and void in Spanish law; nonetheless, Spanish citizens often go to other countries where commercial surrogacy is practiced in order to form their families. How do these Spanish citizens who form their families through surrogacy configure the woman who gives birth as not the mother?

Based on ethnographic research with people involved in surrogacy arrangements from an ongoing research project, and using both interviews with families formed through surrogacy and narratives from the media, this paper will discuss how both heterosexual and homosexual Spanish couples deconstruct the motherhood of the woman who gives birth and reconstruct the parenthood of the commissioning couple. Specifically, this paper will deal with: 1) how role of the woman who gives birth is either strongly downplayed or specifically configured as a kinship but non-mother role, 2) how genetics is emphasized or discounted as a basis for kinship, and 2) how intention, desire and choice are used to create kinship. I will draw on concepts from theory in the anthropology of kinship such as “conception in the heart” and “intention” (Ragoné 1994, Teman 2010), “choice”(Weston 1997), “innkeepers” and “gifts” (Teman 2010, Mauss 1925) and the “other mother” (Bharadwaj 2012), as well as concepts of genetics and kinship (Edwards and Salazar 2009) to try to understand the processes carried out by Spanish commissioning parents.