ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the experiences of rainbow families (of lesbian couples or single heterosexual mothers) when creating extended kinship through donor siblings. The chapter shows both the struggle, affect, joy and emotional labour of these families and of donor parenthood, and describes how they challenge contemporary notions of kinship and homonormativity. Many solo mothers argue in favour of establishing contact with donor siblings, whereas lesbian couples choose not to. This difference is explored by looking at the context of lesbian families and lesbian motherhood, in which significant emotional energy is invested in making both mothers equal parents, often by downplaying biology. Donor siblings – and the biology they underscore – can therefore be interpreted as threats to non-biological mothers. Furthermore, the connection to the sperm donor that donor siblings represent can be seen as threatening to the ideal of the (lesbian) nuclear family. This chapter questions whether lesbian families do challenge the traditional family ideal of the nuclear family or whether they rather might extend the nuclear family. Throughout this chapter, the importance of online media and the affordances of Facebook and smartphone applications for establishing new kinship is underscored.
