Erasing Versus Enumerating Sexual Minority Families: Findings From the Philippines

Christian Joy P. Cruz , University of the Philippines
Eric Julian Manalastas, University of Sheffield

Scholars of sexual minority families in Western countries have shown that lesbian and gay populations, particularly households headed by same-sex couples, can be accounted for using data sources like censuses and national surveys. Less is known about sexual minority families in non-WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialised, rich, democratic) countries where no laws regarding same-sex partnerships like marriage or civil unions exist. We examined three population datasets and their corresponding protocols in the Philippines, a Southeast Asian country where homosexuality is not criminalised but where same-sex partnerships have no legal status. Results indicate that sexual minority families were systematically erased in the 2010 Philippine Census and in the 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey, partly due to heteronormative definition of marriage and ‘cohabitation’. In contrast, we found evidence for same-sex headed families in the 2013 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study dataset. Implications for erasing versus enumerating sexual minority families will be presented.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session 4. Marriage, Family, Households, & Unions