In the US today, millennial-aged LGBTQ+ people have higher rates of child-rearing in comparison to heterosexual couples. According to the Gay and Lesbian Family Study, 63% of LGBTQ millennials (aged 18-35) are considering expanding their families, either by becoming parents for the first time or by having more children. Discussions of childbirth in Western art and culture have long excluded the lives of lesbian, queer, gender non-conforming bodies, and the experiences of non-traditional families. The Queer Birth Project seeks to fill this critical gap in artistic and scholarly work by documenting and sharing the childbirth and family building experiences of LGBTQ+ people in the US. 

This initiative is based on a re-envisioning of feminist artist Judy Chicago’s Birth Project (1980-85). In 1981, Chicago posed the question: how do women feel about all aspects of birth? To answer this question, she conducted an original survey and then collaborated with needleworkers to create a series of visual artworks displayed across the country. Forty years later, using Chicago’s archives as a model, this project asks: how do queer people feel about all aspects of birth? 

Through an innovative collaboration between a queer and feminist artist (Liss LaFleur) and sociologist (Katherine Sobering), this project combines original data collection with archiving and artistic production to update and expand representations of birth and family. Informed by original narratives from LGBTQ+ parents, we are developing a collection of visual artworks around six themes that share new language, ideas, and perspectives with a wider public.

To our knowledge, this is the first project of its kind to ask and answer questions about LGBTQ+ birth using arts-based research. By documenting the diversity of LGBTQ+ lives, this project directly recognizes the significance of visibility and seeks to promote an intersectional and radically inclusive view of childbirth to expand cultural ideas, ensure access to healthcare, and build community.