FAMILY IN THE BIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVES OF OLDER GAY MEN IN POLAND

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to present examples of family contexts in biographical narratives of Polish gay men aged 50 plus. The themes extracted from the interviews (N = 23) are related to the family of origin, ‘families of choice’, partnerships and pets as family members. Respondents' statements illustrate the legitimacy of the transition from treating non-heterosexuals as ‘non-family people’ to the emergence and constitution of a ‘family language’ in the analysis of LGBT environments. The narratives presented have generational specificity - they are characteristic of the social situation of gays experiencing their youth in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s in Polish People's Republic.