Acknowledgements Terminology 1. A Political and Personal Commitment 2. Troubling the "Progressive" Narrative 3. Methodological Considerations 4. LGBTQ Stories of Reproductive Losses 5. Encountering Adversity 6. Deafening Heteronormativity 7. Economic Precarity 8. Malleable Losses 9. Queer Resiliancy 10. Moving Forward Appendix A: Invitation to Participate Appendix B: Interview Questions References
Although there are far more opportunities for LGBTQ people to become parents than there were before the 1990s, attention to the reproductive challenges LGBTQ families face has not kept pace.
Reproductive Losses considers LGBTQ peoples experiences with miscarriage, stillbirth, failed adoptions, infertility, and sterility. Drawing on Cravens training as a feminist anthropologist and her experiences as a queer parent who has experienced loss, Reproductive Losses includes detailed stories drawn from over fifty interviews with LGBTQ people (including those who carried pregnancies, non-gestational and adoptive parents, and families from a broad range of racial/ethnic, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds) to consider how they experience loss, grief, and mourning. The book includes productive suggestions and personal narratives of resiliency, commemorative strategies, and communal support, while also acknowledging the adversity many LGBTQ people face as they attempt to form families and the heteronormativity of support resources for those who have experienced reproductive loss.
This is essential reading for scholars and professionals interested in LGBTQ health and family, and for individuals in LGBTQ communities who have experienced loss and those who support them.
