Q. In what way does queer kinship challenge the traditional kinship system? Substantiate by giving illustrations.

Model Answer:

Queer Kinship: Redefining Family Beyond Traditional Boundaries

Queer kinship comprises non-normative networks of care. As Kath Weston notes in Families We Choose, these bonds challenge traditional kinship rooted purely in consanguinity and affinity.

Subversion of Traditional Kinship

• Decentering Biology: Validating David Schneider’s theory that kinship is cultural rather than biological, queer communities forge chosen families, exemplified by the vital care networks formed during the 1980s AIDS crisis.
• Anti-Functionalist: It dismantles G.P. Murdock’s heteronormative reproductive model by normalizing polyamorous households and queer co-parenting frameworks.
• Institutionalizing Fictive Kin: It elevates friendship to family. Prominent illustrations include Western Ballroom “Houses” and the Indian Hijra Gharana system (Serena Nanda), which provides social security via Guru-Chela bonds outside biological ties.

Conversely, Homonormativity (Lisa Duggan) reveals how the push for state-sanctioned same-sex marriage often assimilates into traditional structures. The Indian Supreme Court’s Supriyo v. Union of India verdict underscores this ongoing contestation between biological family definitions and queer rights.

Conclusion

Viewed through Judith Butler’s lens, queer kinship redefines family as a performative practice—a continuous act of “doing” care—expanding sociological boundaries far beyond biological determinism.