Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on the social importance of “intention” and “affection” for the creation of kin relations in gay and lesbian families in Brazil and in France. Special attention will be done to the relative importance of the so-called biological, legal and social dimensions of kinship.

Paper long abstract:

Based on ethnographic research conducted in Brazil and in France between 2002 and 2016, this paper will analyze the process of construction of parental relations and positions in gay and lesbian families. The majority of cases refer to gay and lesbian co-parenting families, characterized by the existence of multiple parents linked to a single child, some of which had been contacted after ten years. Beyond the centrality given to shared substance by the euroamerican representations in the domain of kinship, this paper will analyze the relative importance of the intention to be a parent, of the domesticity and shared affection and of the official status as a support for filiation. The distinction between filiation and parenthood will be highlighted to point out the different consequences of the participation in a parental project before birth and/or of the sharing of everyday experiences with a child. In the context of social debates about new family relationships, the notions of "choice", "intention" and "desire for a child" can be subject to social disputes, especially in the case of gay and lesbian parents. The analysis of empirical situations reveals the complexity of these notions.