Chicana, chosen family, community, Latina, support, lesbian
Karleen: And you know, um I have the whole kind of Latina lesbian support system in my life, um through, a lot through the States and um through my friends in the States, and on Facebook and at conferences every year. And if I try going to those conferences without Elena, they like send me back. [Tara laughs] They’re like “We don’t, we don’t wanna, we need to see your kid.” So um, kind of I have this broader, you were asking earlier about my broader circle of support-
Tara: Yes.
Karleen: So that’s a really important support to have all these Chicana dykes in my life who want me and my daughter and my partner, and um, uh, you know, want like, have seen me since I was 18 and, watching me grow and make my family and, um, yeah and Elena is absolutely part of that, she goes with me. You know, what academic conferences are like, [laughs] it’s pretty amazing you know, we kind of-
Tara: It is, it is amazing.
Karleen: -Do it in a different way, and make family in a different way, and even I like, I have a chosen mother in the States who sees herself as her grandmother and you know, always spends time with her when we’re at the conferences...