When Italian Same-Sex Parent Families Go to School: Fears, Challenges and Coping Strategies

This article presents and discusses some of the findings of the PRIN project ‘Constructions of Parenting on Insecure Grounds’ (CoPInG) in which the Free University of Bolzano-Bozen’s research unit focused on uncertainties and challenges experienced by same-sex parents in Italy. An analysis of 40 qualitative interviews revealed that same-sex Italian parents are predominantly concerned with issues relating to recognition and inclusion in their surrounding social environments and institutional encounters. In this regard, same-sex parents’ experiences and relationships with their children’s schools and educational staff are of central and emblematic importance. The article highlights same-sex parents’ fears, challenges and coping strategies, paying particular attention to practices of making their families visible and working for their legitimation and social recognition in school environments. The article concludes with indications and recommendations for making Italian schools more inclusive for same-sex parent families.