ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that reproductive loss is so often experienced in isolation, thinking about reproductive losses as communal losses, not just individual ones—and reaffirming that they are worthy of acknowledgement and commemoration—is important on several levels. The notion of queer resiliency was central to the stories of many who participated in the project—whether through individual coping strategies, community support, or commemoration. Exploring the commemoration of queer losses suggests new ways of understanding mourning as a part of family-making. For many participants, reproductive losses were intensified by the invisibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) parents in self-help literature and other support resources. As a “new normal” that can conflict with political narratives of LGBTQ progress and successful family-formation, the commemorations also hold radical potential for acknowledging a more complex framework for queer family-making. Queer resiliency—both individual and collective—offers important possibilities for acknowledging and valuing experiences of reproductive loss as an integral part of family-making.
