Embrace the Queerness of your family, take ownership of your journey, and use your voice to bring light to your communities. When Nia Chiaramonte came out as a trans woman to her wife Katie, she knew she would be met with a loving response. But she was less sure where this would leave their relationship, their marriage, and their family. Even murkier was what would happen when they began to bring their extended family, friends, and broader community alongside them on their journey of identity formation as a Queer family. They needed a guide for what lay ahead. Now, drawing on their own experiences as well as their expertise in psychology, spirituality, and family systems, Nia and Katie Chiaramonte offer the tools they wish they'd had for their journey. Embracing Queer Family is a guidebook for Queer families on how to live into their true selves and strengthen their communities through radical love, acceptance, and mutual healing. With hands-on tools for learning and reflection in each chapter, this needed resource tackles issues of inclusion and acceptance and offers practical advice for how individuals and families can honor themselves and find transformation for their whole community through love. Whether you are a Queer person on the journey of self-awareness, an ally looking for resources, or a family member seeking advice for how to navigate a loved one's coming-out process, this book is for you.
Nia Chiaramonte holds a BA in psychology with a minor in business from the University of Northern Iowa and is currently pursuing her master's degree in business administration. She is the Senior Director of People at LifeStraw in Baltimore, Maryland. Nia spent the first thirty-five years of her life hiding in plain sight, scared to be who she is and scared of what it might cost her. While the cost has been high, the reward of being free has been worth it. She is cofounder of Love in the Face, an organization to help and support other transgender and LGBTQIA+ individuals on their own journeys of self-discovery. Katie J. Chiaramonte holds a BA in family services from the University of Northern Iowa and is a sendee of The Living School. In addition, she is a certified reproductive doula. After over fifteen years of formal and informal lay ministry in the Christian tradition, Katie has found that love has brought her out into a more spacious place where tradition melts away and all things connect in a wide and endless web.
"I've been queered in my relationships to friends, family, and congregants. Though I am cis and straight, my theology has been queered. I see God differently, preach differently, advocate more passionately for a world in which my queer and becoming beloveds know for sure they are magical and created in the image of God. Nia and Katie have queered me, with beautiful work, stories, anecdotes, wisdom, and frank and fierce love." --Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister for Public Theology and Transformation at Middle Church; author of Ten Essential Strategies for Becoming a Multiracial Congregation and The Power of Stories "A deeply compassionate and helpful guide for Queer and trans folks and the people who love them. Nia and Katie Chiaramonte encourage understanding, differentiation, and loving boundaries--all of which are necessary for strong relationships--and provide a beautiful illustration of the truth that freedom for one person can lead to freedom for others as well." --Austen Hartke, author of Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians "This tender, insightful, and substantive book will help you, your family, and your community respond with love to a queer family member. Drawing from the authors' own experience, it helps you navigate through confusion and conflict to trust, hope, and love." --Brian D. McLaren, author of Faith After Doubt "Family is a contested term for LGBTQIA+ persons, and family is essential to feel normal again. Finding the right kinds of familial ties or relationships, whether biological or chosen, is essential for queer people and queer families. Bonds of love are what help reduce harm against those of us who are different. This book shows us the way of one family's journey toward normalcy and building queer family. I hope you will read it and learn, as I have learned, how essential feeling normal is for Queer and Transgender folks." --Roberto Che Espinoza, PhD, author of Activist Theology and Body Becoming: A Path to Our Liberation "We all deserve to find a little peace for ourselves, and Katie and Nia help us to discover ourselves most gently with this book. They also remind us that while our stories are not the same, we can see ourselves in each other and our collective power as queer folks." --Courtney Reyes, LGBTQ+ advocate
