LGBTIQ Italian activism and the hegemonic discourse about parenting

Although research has consistently shown that stereotypes about children of same-sex couples have no empirical foundation, heterosexual kinship is still the current epitome of intelligibility (Butler, 2002) and the heterosexual couple is constructed as the only natural context for parenting. Heteronormativity leads heterosexuality to interpret itself as society (Warner, 1991) and homosexual parents and their children are subject to stigmatization and to institutionalized forms of discrimination, as in the case of Italy where no recognition are settled for children of same-sex parents. General politics and “regimes of truth”, established by scientific discourses and institutions, are at the origins of the dynamics of power between the heterosexual majority and sexual minority groups (Foucault, 1978). The relations of dominance are often consensual because they are continuously reproduced as natural (Gramsci, 1975a). As Gramsci (1975a; 1975b) highlighted, cultural hegemony is a process of moral and intellectual leadership through which subordinated classes give their “spontaneous” consent to the worldview of the ruling classes, thus agreeing to their domination, with no need of forcing or coercion for accepting their inferior positions Starting from these premises, this paper analysis whether and how Italian LGBTIQ activists support or challenge the heteronormative ideology of parenting when they talk about homosexual parenting. After examining the historical conditions that led the heteronormative view of parenting to become hegemonic in Italy, this paper presents a Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough, 2001) of the discourses of three groups of LGBTIQ Italian activists about parenting. Data show that participants support certain understandings of parenting that can reinforce the heteronormative view of kinship. Specifically, some of the discourses emphasize the need of blood connections between parents and their children, the “natural limits” to procreation and the necessity of gender complementarity in family roles. The analysis shows how hegemonic ideologies on sexualities and parenting can permeate the discourses of subaltern groups, even in the case of groups that have committed themselves politically to defending the rights of LGBTIQ persons. The study’s contribution lies on supporting activists’ consciousness of their chances to question heteronormativity and to move outward in ways that challenge the ideology of parenting.