Chosen Family Day

Each year, Chosen Family Day aims to represent trans, queer, and disabled families formed by choice to provide interpersonal and community support that cultivates a strong sense of belonging among individuals marginalized by gender, sexual orientation, and ableism. The appeal of having a chosen family extends beyond sharing our lives with the people and pets with whom we’ve come to know and love. Chosen family is often the circle of care that offers each of us a better way through hard times and a salve for deep care. It can mean the difference between life and death for some of us.

Unlike Family Day’s focus on the traditional cis, het, and able-bodied families with children, Chosen Family Day is a special observance of meaningful relationships formed, felt, and shared among our trans, nonbinary, queer, and crip communities.

This day will mark the fourth year since Chosen Family Day was created in response to Canada’s Family Day, which is observed annually on the third Monday of February. Chosen Family Day was launched by Friends of Ruby, a GTA-based organization dedicated to the progressive well-being of LGBTQ2+ youth through mental health services, social support, and housing. They first launched Chosen Family Day on February 22, 2020, in support of LGBTQ2+ youth. Four years later, the observance of Chosen Family Day has caught on and spread throughout Canada.

Having the support of peers around you is critical, and it is a necessary ingredient to healing attachment wounds, past harms, and grieving the unfairness of it all. As trans and queer adults who might’ve been pushed out by your family, their former careers, or your past relationships, you know how important it is to feel a sense of belonging and a connection to good people you can trust.  Your chosen family are those who make you feel braver, more comfortable, and more prepared to take good care of yourself.